


An Extended Vacation

by Michdie



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Castle of Dreams (Kingdom Hearts), Disney Town (Kingdom Hearts), Disney Worlds (Kingdom Hearts), F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hawaii (lilo and Stitch), Hurt/Comfort, Kingdom of Corona, Land of Departure, New York City (Newsies), No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Sakaar (Marvel), Terra angst, Treasure Planet - Freeform, Ven gets a haircut, Wonderland, lovers to strangers, post kh3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:27:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21623752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michdie/pseuds/Michdie
Summary: A rift has been torn in the relationship between Terra and Aqua ever since he had taken on his own students. When he tells her that he no longer has feelings for her, Aqua decides that enough is enough and leaves the Land of Departure. Ven is compelled to go with her out of the love he secretly has for her, leaving their friend behind. But Terra didn't realize that he had been wrong. He does still love her. As Aqua travels between worlds with Ven, her feelings for her two best friends become more and more conflicted. Does she love the man she left behind, or the man who dropped everything to care for her?
Relationships: Aqua/Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 28





	1. Leaving

“Are you sure this was a good idea on your part?” Ven asked with a smug grin on his face, holding the younger boy in a head-lock, halfway onto the ground.

“Okay, okay!” The boy of fifteen years, Solis was his name, tapped Ven’s arm twice. “You win!” Ven released him and stood up straight as Solis fell to the ground. “I would have had you, you know,” he said, “If you hadn’t caught me off guard.”

“Oh, sure, sure,” Ven said with a chuckle. “Anyone else want a turn?”

Ven had taken the kids, Terra’s students, up the mountain path for some early morning training and, instead of fighting with their Keyblades as they were supposed to, they had started a wrestling match. Ven had the advantage of experience, as well as his newly acquired height and breadth from a sudden growth spurt that had given him an edge against the younger teens.

“I’ll go!” Hana, a girl of about fourteen said, raising her hand.

Ven smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Okay, but I’m not going to go easy on you.”

“I don’t expect you to,” she said evenly, taking a stance in front of him.

Ven rolled his eyes. “Ever the dramatic.”

Hana lunged at him with a fierce cry, reaching out to grab him, but Ven easily grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm, forcing her to the ground.

“Okay, I yield!” she cried. Ven Laughed and released her arm, taking her hand to help her to her feet.

“Maybe hand-to-hand combat isn’t the right choice for you,” he offered. Hana blushed but didn’t say anything, stepping back into the circle of kids.

“Hana, you didn’t even try,” Ikimo said, running a hand through his black hair with a laugh.

“Hey,” Solis said, swatting the other boy’s arm, “She did her best.”

“I was _joking_ ,” Ikimo said, glaring at the other boy.

“Well,” Ven cut in, “Her best isn’t good enough yet.” He looked around at the group of kids, ages ranging from five to fifteen. “The ten of you have a long way to go before you’re ready to face the Darkness, but if you keep training, you might _eventually_ be able to beat me in a wrestling match.” He gave them another smug look, and the students grumbled and rolled their eyes at him.

“My turn.” Tori, the youngest of the group, walked up to Ven and took his hand. He laughed and attacked her with tickles.

While Ven worked with the kids, Aqua sat in the library, trying to read a book but not taking in a single word, thinking of the disaster that had happened over breakfast. All Aqua said was that Terra looked a bit tired and he just…exploded.

“Of course I’m tired!” he had said. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to train all these children?!” He looked at her with anger in his eyes. “All you do is worry, Aqua! I don’t need you fussing over me like a newborn. Please just-just stop!”

Aqua stared at him with wide eyes. “Terra, I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t—”

“Please,” he turned away from her, looking down at his plate. “Just leave me alone.”

Aqua bit her lip hard to keep her tears at bay and left the room, retreating into the library nearby. She plucked a book off the shelf and opened to a random page, skimming the contents, something about friendship making the heart stronger, but she wasn’t really reading, just trying to distract herself to no avail. She closed the book and set it aside, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes, willing her tear ducts to remain dry. They didn’t listen, and the corners of her eyes began to water. She let a whimper escape her lips and held her hand over her mouth, afraid of breaking down, but a another whimper slipped out and another and another until, before long, she was sobbing into her hands, feeling nausea grow in her stomach and her face go numb.

So this was how it was going to be now, was it? Terra angry all the time, and she in tears? She couldn’t remember the last time he had held her or kissed her or made her feel loved. Not since he’d been named a Master and had taken on students of his own, anyway. She sniffed and rubbed her nose.

 _I’ll just have to get used to it_ , she thought sadly. The realization that this would be her new reality brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes. _How am I going to get through this?_

A gentle hand fell on her shoulder, too small to be Terra’s but too big to be one of the kids’. Aqua looked up slowly to see Ven kneeling on the floor in front of her, concern plain on his face. He seemed to have just finished his morning training, smelling of outside mixed with sweat, but it wasn’t unpleasant. He had also shed much of his armor down to his black, sleeveless turtleneck and shorts to match.

“Hey,” he said softly. Aqua said nothing, but leaned forward and put her arms around him in a tight embrace. He squeezed her back just as tightly. “Terra wanted me to tell you that he’s sorry.”

“He can tell me himself,” she said, hearing bitterness creep into her voice. Ven sighed.

“Well, _I’m_ sorry that he’s hurting you like this,” he murmured in her ear, rubbing her back.

Aqua shook her head. “It’s not your fault.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Just sit here with me.”

And so he did. They sat locked in an embrace for some time as Ven whispered consoling words in her ear. “ _You’re amazing. Don’t be upset. I love you. You deserve to be happy_ ” and so on. She continued to cry softly because Terra had once said such things to her. But not these days.

Ven pulled away and looked into her eyes. His lips deepened into a frown before turning up in a smile. “You look like you could use a pick-me-up,” he said, standing up and taking her hand. Though his grip was light, she could feel the calluses on his palm, the products of hard work. He pulled Aqua to her feet, smiling down at her softly. When had he gotten taller than her? Ven loosened his grip to release her, but she held on tighter. He said nothing about it but smiled to himself, turning his head slightly away from her.

Ven led Aqua by the hand through the castle and out the front door, taking a path that led into the forest nearby. “I found something when I was out exploring years ago,” he said, leading her along, “But I decided to keep it my little secret place, just in case I needed some alone time.” He stepped off the path and into the trees seemingly at random, but Aqua could see a little trail with hardly any grass growing, the light brown dirt showing through the bald spots. Had she not known it was there, she wouldn’t have noticed. “It really is beautiful, Aqua. I can’t wait for you to see it.”

“If it’s your secret place,” she said, pushing tree branches out of her way, “Then why are you showing me now?”

Ven shrugged. “I don’t know. You just seemed really sad, and I knew it might make you feel a little bit better.”

He wasn’t far from the truth. Ven’s kindness had already made her feel a tiny bit better before they even reached their destination. She smiled at his back.

“Thanks,” she said simply.

He tossed a smile over his shoulder. It only lasted for a second before he faced forward again, but, in that moment, time seemed to slow down, just enough to throw every detail into sharp clarity. The dappled light from the sun hit one half of his face, casting the other half in partial shadow. The eye facing the sun seemed to have an internal glow, beaming a bright blue while the other was mysteriously dark. Though only a few teeth peeked through his lips, they gleamed a bright white. His smile was so warm and comforting, his eyes so full of…love—that’s the only way she could describe it—that she felt her heart skip a beat. She chuckled at herself internally.

 _This is Ven_ , she thought with amusement, _Of course he loves me. He’s one of my best friends. It’s not like he’s_ in love _with me._ She giggled softly to herself and rubbed his hand with her thumb.

“What?” he asked with a smile, pushing past the long, thin branches of a willow that swept the ground and continuing on through the grove of trees.

“Nothing. I’m just glad you’re my friend.”

“I’m glad too.”

Ven pushed aside the branches of another willow and Aqua shielded her eyes from the sunlight that assaulted her vision, letting Ven guide her out into a clearing. Her eyes took a second to adjust, and when they did, she gasped in amazement.

A crystalline lake reflected the snowy mountains and green trees of the forest, calm as a summer evening, and fragrant flowers in every color bloomed around them in the grass. Birds chirped happily and little squirrels ran to and fro, chasing each other around the clearing. Ven released her hand and walked ahead of her, but she stood twirling on the spot, drinking in her surroundings.

“Ven,” she breathed, “It’s beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like it,” he said, heading toward the lake. “Come on,” he briefly turned around and walked backward, beckoning her with his hands, before facing forward and jogging toward the water. Aqua followed after him with a laugh.

When Ven reached the edge of the water, he peeled off his shirt and tossed it aside, kicking off his shoes and reaching down to remove his socks. Aqua felt her heart lurch in her chest as she gazed at his rippling back muscles. _Puberty was certainly kind to him_ , she thought with a laugh. She couldn’t admire him for long before he dove into the water, disappearing under the surface before his head popped back up. He grinned at her.

“Come on in!” he called, “The water’s just fine.”

Aqua removed her outer layers before stepping her foot into the river. Ven lied. The water wasn’t just fine. It was freezing.

“It’s way too cold,” she said with a laugh, pulling her foot back out.

“Not if you dive in all at once.”

Aqua steeled herself and gracefully dove into the water, feeling adrenaline rush through her body as the cold enveloped her. She rose to the surface and sucked in a breath, hearing Ven’s laughter. She laughed too, pushing her wet hair out of her eyes, slicking it back on her head. She shivered.

“It didn’t work,” she said again, grinning nonetheless as she held her arms around herself.

“That’s why you gotta warm yourself up!” Ven kicked away from her, settling into a backstroke. Aqua followed behind, just far enough away to avoid being splashed.

“Don’t leave me!” She chuckled and tried to splash him with water.

“Keep up!” he teased with a grin. They chased each other around the lake, laughing and joking, both having forgotten the tears from that morning, having been washed away in the water.

Aqua felt something she hadn’t felt in a while: pure happiness. She would never admit it to anyone, but felt as though Terra’s new obligation to his pupils had torn a rift in their relationship, leaving Aqua floundering like a fish out of water. This time with Ven didn’t quite make up for it, but she certainly felt better and just a little bit more like a whole person again. His smile was like a liquid shot of energy and a fiery blast of ecstasy rolled into one, and his laugh was so infectious that her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Under normal circumstances, Aqua would still have enjoyed this time with Ven, but after experiencing the lowest low that she had felt since her time in the Realm of Darkness, this little swimming excursion had been her highest high, rivaled only by Sora and Riku bringing her out of the pit of despair.

Before long, they grew tired and swam back to shore where it was shallow enough to stand. Though Aqua had spent at least an hour exerting herself while swimming, she still shivered in the water.

“I’m still cold,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Let’s play ‘colors’,” Ven said, reaching his own arms out to her. “I’ll warm you up.” Aqua put her arm around Ven’s neck, letting him pick her up bridal-style, feeling the warmth from his strong chest against her side. He paused for a moment then said, “Okay, guess a color.”

“Blue,” Aqua said, pinching her nose with her free hand. Ven dunked her upper body underwater and lifted it back up. “Red.” Another dunk. “Orange.” Another dunk. “Pink.” Another. “White.” Another. “Blue. Did I already say blue?” He dunked her under and lifted her back up.

“Yes, you did,” he said.

“Green.”

Aqua braced herself, feeling his change in posture, and he pushed her legs over her head, making her face-plant in the water. She flipped right side up with a laugh.

“I should have guessed that one first. Okay,” she held her arms out to him, “Your turn.” Ven climbed into her arms.

They had played colors before, long ago when Ven had first come to the Land of Departure and she had taken him to play in the river with her. He had been much smaller then. Now he was pure bulk in her arms and would have likely been quite heavy had he not been suspended in water.

“Got one?” he asked, looking up at her with an expectant little smile. Her heart lurched again seeing that smile, but she nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Blue.” Aqua rolled her eyes and lifted Ven over his head, out of her arms and into the water. He came up laughing. “That was too easy,” he said. “Your turn again.”

Aqua frowned slightly. Her turn already? “Oh, come on, you barely had a turn,” she insisted, reaching down to pick him up again. He let her, chuckling at her insistence.

They continued on like that for some time, holding and flinging each other into the water until the cold became too much. They exited the lake, letting the sun warm them, but each gentle breeze made them shiver. Aqua sat right up against Ven, and he put his arms around her, quickly rubbing her biceps to build up warm friction. They sat in silence for a minute.

“Thank you for doing this for me, Ven,” Aqua said, looking into his eyes. His face was mere inches from hers.

“No problem,” he said with a bright smile. “Do you want to head back or stay here for a little while longer?”

“Let’s stay here.”

Ven shrugged. “Alright.” He released her and lied down on his back staring at the sky.

“Wait.” Aqua followed him down and settled into his arms. “You’re too warm.” Ven chuckled softly and took her in his arms again. She closed her eyes and rested a hand on his chest.

…

Aqua hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep until a gentle hand shook her awake. She blinked her eyes, faced with Ven’s collarbone, and pushed herself up with a yawn. The sun sat on the opposite side of the sky from where she had last seen it, meaning she had been asleep for hours. She looked at Ven who rubbed his eyes. They had both been asleep for hours, and the sun had completely dried them off, turning their skin bright red and stiffening Ven’s hair into odd angles. She laughed and smoothed his head, but grimaced when the movement tugged at her sunburn. She healed them both with a spell and the burns disappeared.

“We should get back,” he said, standing up and helping Aqua to her feet. She felt a twinge of disappointment when he let go and began to walk back to the tree line, gathering up his clothes as he went.

…

“Where have you two _been_?” Terra demanded when Ven and Aqua finally came through the front doors.

“We were out for a walk,” Aqua said simply. Ven said nothing, glaring at him.

“I was worried about you,” he said to Aqua, crossing his arms.

“Well, I’m fine.” She stalked past him and he watched her with a frown. She still hadn’t forgiven him. Ven made to follow after her, but Terra stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Wait. Is she still mad at me?”

“Yes.” He said nothing more, refusing to face him, and Terra sighed, releasing his shoulder.

“I just hope she won’t be for much longer. I really need her.”

Ven ground his teeth, not trusting himself to speak at the moment.

“What did she say about me?” Terra asked.

“She didn’t really say anything,” Ven said to the floor, “I don’t think she wanted to talk about it, so I just…took her out for some fresh air.”

“Thanks. She needs it.”

“You think so?” Bitter sarcasm crept into Ven’s voice and did not go unnoticed by Terra. He sighed again.

“Look, I hate seeing her upset as much as you do, but I need you to help me keep her happy. I do _not_ want an Angry Aqua in the house.” He chuckled once, but Ven scoffed.

How could Terra say such a thing? Aqua should be happy just to be happy, not so Terra could have an easier time. But he was right about one thing: Ven would do anything to make Aqua happy because, well…

He was madly in love with her. When he came to the Land of Departure, he fell head over heels for the girl but never thought he had a chance. After all, she loved Terra. It killed Ven to see them cuddle and kiss each other, but it killed him even more to see her cry because of him.

He began to walk away, but Terra stopped him once again.

“The kids want to see a demonstration,” he said, “Would you mind sparring with me?” As angry as Ven was with Terra, he didn’t want to let the kids down.

With a sigh, he nodded and followed him into the training room.

Ven greeted the students with a smile and faced Terra, his smile turning to a frown. They got into position and ran at each other, swinging their Keyblades offensively and defensively in turn. He could tell Terra was going easy, merely demonstrating for the students rather than actually fighting.

Ven still couldn’t believe what he had said to Aqua that morning. Making her cry was a great offense in his eyes and Ven would sooner die than let anyone offend Aqua. But still, Terra, their best friend, had done it.

Ven ground his teeth and threw the weight of his whole body into his swing, jarring Terra’s arm when he blocked the blow. He narrowed his eyes and regarded Ven with caution, retaliating with renewed vigor.

And the worst thing was that he didn’t even seem to be sorry about it. That really made Ven’s blood boil. Yeah, he and Aqua had arguments, but he always felt terrible afterward, as friends should be, but Terra seemed to have completely blown it off.

Ven threw his weapon at Terra, who just barely leaned out of range, grazing his cheek and leaving a small cut. His Keyblade came back around to him and Ven caught it with both hands. He swung it above his head and brought it down on Terra who batted it away, looking at Ven with anger and confusion in his eyes.

How could Terra treat Aqua like she was nothing when Ven could give her the whole world?

With a fierce cry, Ven tossed his Keyblade aside and charged at Terra. His eyes grew wide and he dropped his weapon in alarm, bracing himself for impact and Ven slammed into him, wrestling him to the ground.

“Ven!” he cried, struggling to get the boy off of him. The students watched in shock as Ven’s fist connected with Terra’s jaw. Terra hurled him off of his body, and he staggered backward. Terra stood up, glowering at him. “ _What is your problem_?” he demanded.

“Well, what’s your problem?!” Ven screamed.

“What?” Terra had never seen him so angry before.

“Do you have _any_ idea what’s going on?” he spat.

“What are you talking about?” Terra rose an eyebrow in confusion.

“AQUA! I’m talking about Aqua!” Ven glowered at him. “All she wants to do is help you and you’re treating her like garbage!”

Terra sighed shortly. “Ven, Aqua and I have our disagreements—”

“Oh yeah? You yelling at her and her running out crying is ‘having disagreements’?”

“It’s not that simple!”

“It’s pretty simple to me!” Hot tears began to sear down Ven’s face. “You act like a jerk and don’t give a second thought to what you’re doing; to how you’re hurting her.”

“Ven, of course I’m worried about—”

“Just be glad that I’m here to pick up the pieces, Terra,” Ven spat back. “From now on, I won’t let you hurt her ever again.” He turned on his heel and stalked to the door, the crowd of students quickly parting to let him through, all looking between their teachers with wide eyes. Terra watched him go, flinching slightly when the door slammed shut.

“Class dismissed,” he said, and the students shuffled out of the room in silence.

No one saw each other until dinner. Terra sat at the head of the table watching students file in one by one. Ven came in, reluctantly taking his place at Terra’s left side. No one spoke to each other, letting the maids set food in front of them in uncomfortable silence. Aqua was last to arrive, greeting the students with a smile.

“Hi, everyone!” she said cheerfully. If sitting down next to Terra bothered her, she didn’t let on. “How was class?”

The students looked to each other nervously and grumbled unintelligible responses, a few fiddling with their silverware. Other chose to place food in their mouths instead of answering. Aqua looked at them with pinched brows.

“Did something happen?” She turned to Ven.

“Nope,” he said, glaring at his plate. No one contradicted him.

“Okay,” she said, raising an eyebrow. She took a bite of her salad, looking around at the nervous faces of the students. “You kids look like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you sure nothing happened?” The kids nodded, continuing to eat in silence when they usually had plenty to say. “Oh, come on, you can tell me,” she said reassuringly, but no felt reassured. “What happened, Kye?” Kye, the boy to Ven’s left, looked at her in fright. Everyone held their breath, awaiting his response.

“Nothing,” Kye grumbled with a shrug, “Nothing happened.”

“Really?”

“Just drop it, Aqua,” Terra spat. She frowned at him.

“ _Terra_ ,” Ven growled a warning.

“I just want to know why everyone’s so upset,” Aqua said, raising her hands defensively.

Hana stood abruptly, pointing an accusing finger at the men on the other end of the table. “They were fighting!” she said. The other students looked at her in fear.

“Fighting? About what?” Aqua said.

“About _you_!”

“ _Me_? Why?”

Terra groaned and buried his face in his hands. “Can we not have this conversation right now?”

“Why not?” Ven glowered at him, “Because you don’t like owning up to your wrongdoings?”

“Look,” Terra said, “I’m sorry, Aqua, if I’ve been upset with you as of late. I’ve just been very stressed.”

“Oh, you’ve been _stressed_ , have you?” Ven said, mockingly, “I’m stressed, you’re stressed, we’re all stressed! That doesn’t give you the right to be a complete douchebag!”

“ _Ven_ ,” Aqua said, brows pulling together in distress. “Kids, take your plates and go. The adults need to talk alone.”

“You know, I used to look up to you,” Ven said as the din of cutlery and chairs scraping across the floor rattled in the background while the students shuffled out of the dining room. He, too, stood up abruptly, planting his hands flat on the table, leaning towards the older man menacingly. Anyone else would have been frightened, but Terra only sighed.

“Ven,” Aqua said, “Don’t say things like that.” Saline shimmered thickly in her eyes.

“I use to want to be just like you,” Ven ignored her, “Big and strong and heroic. But that’s not who you really are, is it?”

“I guess I’m not the man you thought I was,” Terra whispered.

“I guess not.” Greif twisted Ven’s face and he quickly fled the room, leaving his friends looking on after him. Tears finally fell on Aqua’s cheeks. “I’m sorry,” Terra said, “For everything.”

Did he mean making her angry, killing their master, letting himself fall to darkness, or not realizing that every second she spent with him had become agony?

“How did it come to this?” Aqua whispered.

“I thought I could take the Master’s place, but…I was wrong.” His voice broke, and he looked as if he was about to cry. “If I hadn’t decided to take on pupils, we would all still be friends.”

“We are still friends,” Aqua said, unsure if she still believed it. “We’re family.” She sniffed.

“Family…” Terra trailed off. “Maybe once, but I can’t continue on like this. I’ve been meaning to tell you, Aqua, but I…don’t feel as I once did for you.”

Aqua’s stomach lurched painfully and her vision blurred. She didn’t meet his eyes. “Oh. Well, then I suppose…I suppose we’ll have to be…long-distance family.” She stood up and walked slowly to the door.

“What do you mean?”

Aqua stopped. “I have to leave,” she said.

“Leave?” The pain in his voice broke her heart as much as his confession, but she nodded.

“It’s for the best.”

“But why?” he whispered, voice thick with tears. “Just because I don’t feel the same anymore doesn’t mean I want you to leave.”

“Don’t play with my emotions, Terra.”

Aqua walked out the door and ran up to her room, quickly, before she began to cry. When she passed Ven’s door, she skidded to a halt and barged inside. Ven, who lie on his bed, sat up in alarm as she slammed the door shut. Aqua fell into his arms and began to cry in earnest, weeping openly into the crook of his neck. Ven cried, too, silently letting his tears fall into her hair. Neither had any idea how long they sat crying, but Ven finished long before Aqua, patting her head and rocking her side to side until she quieted.

“I’m leaving,” she whispered. Ven didn’t say anything for a long time.

“Are you sure?”

Aqua nodded. “He doesn’t love me anymore.” Her voice rose in pitch as tears threatened to fall. Ven began rocking her back and forth again.

“Well, _I_ love you.” he whispered in her ear. “I always have, and I always will. I won’t ever leave you, Aqua.” She probably thought he meant he loved her as friends do, and that was fine with him for the time being. He rested his cheek on her head. “Maybe he just needs a break; a chance to settle into his role as teacher. We can’t expect him to be perfect. He just needs to figure everything out.”

“If you’re giving him the benefit of the doubt, then why did you say all those things earlier?” she asked. He shrugged.

“I was just angry, and I regret all of it. But I do think we should give him some space.” Aqua nodded. “Here’s what we’ll do,” Ven said, pulling away and taking her by the shoulders. “We’ll travel to all the worlds we can find, and I’ll even take you to Disney Town and we can ride all the fun rides. Let’s do that first.” He gave her his signature smile, but she didn’t return it.

“You want to come with?”

“Only if it’s okay with you.”

It was more than okay with Aqua. She gave him a watery smile and nodded, but her face fell again. “It won’t be the same without him,” she said.

“I know,” Ven said sadly, pulling her into his chest again. “But we both need to move on. He can still be our friend, but we all need a breather right now.”

Aqua sighed, grateful for his words. “When did you get to be so wise?” she asked.

“I can fake it pretty well.” She chuckled softly.

Aqua remained at Ven’s side, comforted by his hand rubbing her back, and, for the second time that day, she fell asleep in his arms.

…

Aqua awoke to soft light coming through the window. She sat up and found herself in her own bed where Ven must have deposited her after she fell asleep, and sighed, thinking of their conversation from the night before. Her stomach churned.

They were leaving.

But should they? Aqua had fought so hard to keep her friends together. Leaving just seemed like throwing all that out the window. She drew her knees to her chest and rested her head on them.

“Are you alright?” a small voice said.

Aqua started and looked to the voice, finding Chirithy, a small creature that had befriended Ven shortly after Master Eraqus’s funeral. It would occasionally pop in whenever Ven was around, but she had never seen it on its own.

“Chirithy. What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Ven wanted me to look after you,” it said. “You seemed pretty upset last night.”

Upset was an understatement. Aqua wrapped her arms around her knees, looking down at them, and passively connecting the red dots of razor burns. “Did Ven tell you anything?”

“You’re leaving.” Hearing the words spoken out loud sent her stomach roiling.

“Is it even the right thing to do?” she asked mostly to herself, but Chirithy answered anyway.

“It doesn’t have to be forever,” it said, “Maybe you just need to take a small break and give Terra some time to settle into his new role. Then come back and everything will be fine.”

“You think so?”

“Maybe. The way I see it is you have three options: one, you can continue things the way they are and ruin your friendship forever. Two, you can force yourselves to get along, but that could lead to bitterness and resentment. Three, you can take some time away from each other. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, after all.”

Aqua smiled. It was small, just a slight upturn of the corners of her mouth, but Chirithy’s words made the pit in her stomach lessen.

“I think you’re right, Chirithy. Thank you.” Her smile brightened at the creature who then poofed away.

Aqua got ready for the day and went down to breakfast, steeling herself at the bottom of the stairs for her next conversation with Terra. Before she could make it to the dining room, she heard crying from a small sitting room nearby. It was one of the children, Tori. She stepped closer and looked into the doorway.

Several of the children, Kye, Hana, Sukume, Ikimo, and Solis stood around Ven who sat in a chair with little Tori on his lap. Though she was the only one crying, all wore morose faces.

“Why do you have to go?” Tori sobbed. Ven shushed her gently, rubbing her back.

“Don’t worry,” he said, “I won’t be gone long. Aqua and I are just going to be checking up on a few worlds. We’ll be back before you know it.”

“This is about Master Terra, isn’t it?” Kye asked in a low voice.

“Is there anything we can do?” Ikimo said. He gave a hopeful smile, but Ven shook his head.

“You guys have been awesome,” Ven said, “But sometimes you just have to let people work things out for themselves.”

“So that’s it, then?” Hana said, an accusing note rising in her voice. “You’re just going to leave ‘cause you don’t want to deal with us anymore?” She drew a sharp breath and covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a sob, eyes glistening.

“It’s not that,” Ven said, “I love you guys more than anything.”

“Liar,” Hana muttered. She turned and stalked out the door, giving Aqua a watery glance on her way out. Ven and the other kids watched her go, eyes falling on the older woman.

“Aqua,” Kye desperately, “Please tell us this isn’t true.” His voice broke.

She stepped into the room slowly and sat on the ground next to Ven’s chair. She drew a breath.

“I spoke to Chirithy earlier,” she said, “And he told me that maybe leaving is the best option for now so that our friendship won’t be damaged by bitterness or resentment. So I think some time away will do us good.”

“But what about us?” Tears fell on Kye’s cheeks. “We need you guys.”

“You’re strong,” Aqua said with a smile. “I know you can do hard things.”

“Terra said that he invited Riku to come help,” Ven said, “You guys are going to love him.”

Kye shook his head. “It’s not the same.”

“I know it’ll be hard,” Aqua said, “For everyone, but you have to let us do this. We’ll visit as often as we can. I promise.” Aqua held out her pinky to Kye who slowly drew up his hand and locked his own pinky with hers.

“We’re going to miss you,” Sukume said. She wiped the tears from her eyes.

“I’m going to miss you too.” Aqua wrapped the kids in a hug, holding them for a long while before releasing them, fighting off tears all the while.

“Off to breakfast,” she said, “Ven and I need to talk alone.” The kids nodded and left the room, giving them sad looks on their way out. Had she not spoken to Chirithy prior, the children would have definitely convinced her to stay. The two sat in silence, each wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Ven looked at Aqua out of the corner of his eye. She looked so sad. Was leaving worth it? He then remembered the tears she had shed the day before at Terra’s expense, and the tears she had shed the week before that because he cancelled yet another date, and the week before that because it had been so long since he had kissed her. Ven set his jaw, glaring at the ground.

Every time Terra made her cry, Ven was there. At first, he didn’t know what to do. Terra and Aqua had never really fought before Xehanort came into their lives, only had small disagreements at most. But it was a constant thing as of late. Ven now had a routine for when Aqua cried, though he doubted she knew that. Comfort her, then distract her, then keep her away from Terra as long as possible. It always made her feel better. He wished he didn’t know that, though.

He wished he didn’t have to know such a detail as how to best distract from this pain Terra caused her. He wished he could remain blissfully ignorant of Aqua’s coping mechanisms, that she would be so happy all the time it was as if they didn’t even exist. But he did know them and knew them well at this point.

 _She wouldn’t be going through this with me_ , the selfish part of his brain said. He smiled ruefully. _It would never happen_ , said the other part of his brain. Aqua saw him as a little brother. She had said as much years ago but maybe her feelings could change… Regardless of how Aqua saw him, he would do his best to make her happy.

“When do we leave?” she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“As soon as possible.”

Aqua nodded slowly. “Then I’d better get packed.” She stood and left the room as Ven followed behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be honest with me. Should I use a different word than "douchebag"? I'm on the fence about it.


	2. Disney Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ven and Aqua make their first stop of their trip at Disney Town.

“Do you have to leave?” Terra asked, following Aqua out into the courtyard where Ven stood waiting for her. The kids crowded around him, crying and hugging him as Ven bit his lip, holding back tears of his own.

“Don’t worry,” Aqua said. “We’ll be back before you know it.” She gave him a sad smile but Terra grimaced.

“I’m going to miss you.”

Aqua dropped her gaze, unable to meet his eyes. “I’ll miss you, too.” She reached up and embraced him, letting him hold her tightly before pulling away, taking a step back. “Take care of the kids for me.”

He nodded. “And you take care of Ven.”

She chuckled softly. “I will.” Aqua smiled one last time at him before stepping away to say goodbye to the children. They attacked her with hugs and tears in tandem.

“Ven,” Terra said, nodding him over. Two kids came over with him, still clutching his hands. Terra laid a hand on his shoulder, looking him right in the eye. “Take care of her,” he said in a low voice.

Ven nodded once. “I will.”

“And…take care of yourself.”

Ven smiled dejectedly. “Yeah.”

Terra pulled him into a hug, and Ven let go of the kids’ hands to embrace him. Each gave the other a few slaps on the back before pulling away, blinking back tears.

Ven stepped back to Aqua’s side and both activated their armor and gliders. “Don’t have too much fun without us!” Ven said, hopping onto his glider, giving the group a little salute.

“Same goes for you two,” Terra said, grinning up at them.

Aqua jumped onto her glider and waved at the group of kids before summoning a portal to the Lanes Between and flying through it, Ven quickly following after her. Not two seconds later, a Gummiship appeared in the sky, landing behind the mountain path.

“Right on time, Riku,” Terra said.

Aqua sped through the Lanes Between with blurred vision, trying to forget the sad faces of the children she loved so dearly. Their tears didn’t make her decision any easier. She urged her glider on faster as if to escape their cries, but the sound seemed to follow her, stuck in her head the entire way to Disney Town.

They landed just on the outskirts of the city, dismissing their gliders and removing their armor. Aqua looked at the town, seeing balloons rising into the sky and banners strung across rooftops. Music poured from the streets, reverberating through the ground and into their feet.

“Looks like the party’s in full swing,” Ven said with a grin. “Let’s go!” He took off running and Aqua chased after him, more to keep from losing him rather than in excitement to be in town. She envied his enthusiasm. “What do you want to do first? We could go on a roller coaster, or play Fruit Ball, or go on the race track, or get some ice cream!” He grinned wildly at her.

Aqua didn’t want to do much of anything. She wanted to sit down and bawl her eyes out. But that would make Ven upset, so she smiled and said, “How about a roller coaster?”

Ven pulled her to the nearest attraction, a gigantic ride called Magic Mountain. He chattered on about every coaster he wanted to go on, but Aqua wasn’t listening, thinking instead of the kids (and the man) she had left behind.

“Aqua?” Ven said, touching her arm. She snapped out of her thoughts. “You okay?” He gave her a worried look.

“I’m fine,” she said, “It’s just…”

“You miss them.” Aqua nodded. “I do, too,” he said, eyes meeting the ground. “On the way over here, I was just thinking about how sad they would be without us, and I…I…” His eyebrows pulled together and he bit his lip. “Can we talk about something else?” he said quickly.

“Yes of course,” Aqua said. She started telling a funny story about what happened the last time she came to Disney Town, when she saw a man carrying a big bowl of ice cream trip and drop everything. Ven laughed and she breathed an internal sigh of relief. She didn’t want him to be sad, especially not when she had dragged him out with her to begin with.

They got to the front of the line and Ven begged to be in the first car of the coaster. Aqua laughed and agreed, eagerly sitting down next to him and letting the ride worker strap them in. Aqua stared at the track in front of her, following the loops and turns with her eyes. She frowned as a small weight settled in her stomach. Those loops looked pretty high.

“Do you think it’s going to be scary?” she asked.

“Totally!” Ven said instantly, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s going to be so awesome!” Aqua hummed in agreement but took a deep breath to settle her stomach.

The workers finished strapping everyone into place and jogged back to the control unit, pressing buttons and turning knobs. The cars started moving along the track, chugging along loudly in her ears, turning upward as they carried the passengers up the first hill. Aqua lay back in her seat as cold fear gripped her. She found Ven’s hand and held on tightly, feeling the car level out as they reached the peak. They were motionless for a split second before the car tipped over the edge of the hill, sending them plummeting down the other side, picking up momentum and sending them flying through the first valley.

Ven whooped and shrieked with delight, but Aqua screamed her head off, clutching Ven’s arm like a lifeline as the coaster sent them through twists and turns so fast that she thought her heart would stop. It was a good thing she hadn’t eaten anything yet, otherwise, it would have ended up all over her as the looping roller coaster churned her stomach.

“I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die!” she screamed as they were sent through another loop-de-loop. Ven laughed.

“Aqua! Put your hands in the air!” he yelled, sticking his own arms up as the track twisted them upside down. She screamed even louder and pulled his hand that was still attached to hers back into her side.

The line of cars began to lose momentum and Aqua breathed a sigh of relief as they slowly pulled to a stop—right in front of a brick wall, that is. She looked at the wall in front of her in confusion, hearing clicking sounds coming from the ride. Realization dawned on her face and she only had a moment to gasp before the cars were launched backward at high speeds.

If Aqua thought the ride going forward was scary, it was nothing compared to the terror that overtook her going backwards, unable to see where she was going. She gripped Ven’s wrist so hard that his hand might have fallen off, but she didn’t care. She wanted off of that ride, screaming as such loudly in his ear, but he only laughed at her. Blessedly, the coaster finally pulled to a stop at the beginning of the ride. Workers came by to release everyone, and Aqua rushed from her seat, stumbling on legs that had turned to jelly.

“Please never make me do that again,” she said with a grimace.

“Oh, come on, that was awesome!” Ven said with a laugh. Aqua shook her head and rubbed her eyes, eliciting another laugh from her friend.

“Okay, fine. We can go on some kiddy rides if that would make you feel better.”

“It would.”

Ven and Aqua traveled through the town, riding various rides, eating delicious foods, and taking lots of pictures to send to their friends in the group chat. He even managed to talk her into riding a few of the scarier rides. She only complied because she could tell he really wanted to go on them.

“Ooh, Aqua,” Ven pulled her over to a gift shop, “Let’s get these cute ears,” he said, pointing to a display of headbands that had round ears on top, much like the King’s.

“Forty munny for one headband?” Aqua said with a grimace.

“Chump change,” he replied off-handedly, picking up a headband with blue flowers on it. He stuck it on her head with a smile. “This one’s cute.” He picked out one with a little top hat for himself and gave his munny to the cashier before they went on their way.

“Thank you for the headband,” Aqua said, looping her arm through his.

“My pleasure,” he said with a grin. “I thought you’d like a little souvenir.”

Aqua smiled and sighed contentedly as she looked around the town. “It’s so crazy to think that it’s been over ten years since we’ve been here,” she said. “Everything looks the same.”

“Yeah. But the people are all different.” They came to a stop at the center of town and looked up at Disney Castle looming overhead. “Just think,” he said, “King Micky wasn’t even a Keyblade Master then. And now at least half of us are!”

Aqua laughed. “I don’t know about half of us.”

“Well, you, Terra, and Riku are.” Ven counted off on his fingers. “Sora’s nearly there, Roxas, Xion, and Lea are also pretty close.”

“That just leaves you and Kairi.”

“Oh Kairi will get there,” he said, “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone more determined to prove herself. Apart from you, that is.” He gave her a wink, making her laugh. “As for me…” he stared back up at the castle, “I think I’m gonna put that a hold for a while.”

Aqua furrowed her brows. “Why? Didn’t you always use to say you dreamed of being a master?”

“Well, yeah,” he shrugged, “But I realized that was more because you and Terra both wanted to. I just wanted to be like you guys.” A shadow clouded his face. “But I think it’s time I found my own path, you know?” She nodded. “Right now, my path is here with you.” He rested a hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile that she couldn’t help but return.

“Right. Thank you.”

“Oh!” Ven brightened. “Let’s get a picture in front of the castle to send to everyone.”

Aqua laughed, watching him pull out his phone. They took a few selfies, but had trouble getting both their faces in frame as well as the castle. Eventually, they asked a passerby for help, a blond man who apparently had previous photography training. He gave them directions and took many pictures from all different angles. Aqua thought it was a bit much, but she couldn’t argue with the results. Ven repaid the man’s kindness with a churro.

At the end of the day, they trudged tiredly into their hotel room, collapsing into their respective beds, and talking about the day’s events.

“Thanks for doing this for me,” Aqua said, looking up at the ceiling. “This is the best I’ve felt in months.”

“No problem.” She could hear the smile in his voice, “Anything for you, Aqua.”

She chuckled softly, rolling on her side so she could see him on the other bed and found that he was indeed giving her a bright smile.

“I really mean it, you know. Thank you,” she said.

“I meant it, too.” His smile softened. They simply looked at each other for a few moments before Ven cleared his throat, looking away. “We should get some sleep. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Aqua turned out the lights and they both soon lost themselves to unconsciousness.

…

It had been a week since Aqua and Ven left. The castle felt empty and devoid of any life despite the ten children roaming the halls. All had fallen into a depressed state, missing their friends dearly.

Riku wished that Sora had come to the Land of Departure with him. Maybe he could have breathed some life into the students and reminded them of Ven. Riku had never been the social type, so he was at a loss. All he could do was train with them and hope to take their mind off their worries.

Naminé, who had come with Riku, was faring a little better. She was sweet and kind like Aqua, and the kids, especially Tori, had taken to her instantly. But even though Naminé’s personality partially filled the void of a mothering role, she egregiously lacked experience. She could talk to the kids, but could only try her best to bandage metaphorical wounds or get them to stop fighting with each other when an argument broke out.

The two watched over a sparring session one day, having taken over for Terra that afternoon. Solis and Ikimo seemed to be at war with each other, as they had just found out that the other had a crush on Hana. A once friendly rivalry was starting to become a bit violent. The fight had just barely begun and Solis had already begun to target areas off-limits for practice.

“ _Stop_ ,” Riku said, casting a spell over the boys. They froze in time and he stepped between them before releasing the spell. They stumbled and fell to the ground in heaps. “Remember, you’re classmates, not enemies.” The two boys glared at each other and stood up, stepping back with the other students. “Any other volunteers?” Riku looked around at the students who remained silent. “What? No more personal vendettas need to be settled?” No one said anything. “Very well. You’re free to go.”

“Riku?” Tori tugged on his hand. “When do I get to spar?”

“Well, I think you should ask Terra that.” If Riku had his way, this innocent little girl would never have to see the horrors of the Darkness.

“I don’t like talking to him when he’s sad, ‘cause then I get sad, too,” she said.

Riku sighed. “I know. I do, too. Naminé,” he turned to her, “Would you mind taking Tori?” he said, “I’m going to look for Terra.” She nodded.

“Come on, Tori, let’s go to your room and find a book to read.” She led the girl away, and Riku went off on his task.

He combed through the castle and surrounding grounds, eventually finding him by his late master’s grave. Terra stiffened at the sound of approaching footsteps and looked around, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Riku.

“Oh, it’s just you,” he said, turning back around. “I thought you were one of the kids.”

Riku sat down next to Terra, looking at how the light shined through the Wayfinders they had placed on the grave, sending their colors everywhere.

“You okay?” he asked. It took Terra a few moments to say anything.

“How do you like it here, Riku?” he said. Riku frowned. “And Naminé, how’s she?” He looked at Terra, who gazed at Master’s Defender sadly.

“We both like it so far.”

“The kids like you.”

Riku made a face. “I don’t know about that.” He chuckled once. “They miss Ven more than they like me.” Terra looked at the ground, pulling up blades of grass. “You really miss them, too, huh?” Terra nodded and sighed, pulling out his gummiphone.

“It’s just…they look like they’re having so much fun.” He scrolled through the pictures Ven and Aqua sent in the group chat with all of their friends from across the worlds. They looked happy, riding roller coasters and eating ice cream as best friends do. Without him.

“I’m sure they want you there more than anything,” Riku said. “Why did they leave in the first place?”

Terra looked reluctant to respond. “Um…well, Aqua and I sort of had a falling out, and she wanted to take a break from things. From ‘us.’”

“And Ven?”

“He sided with Aqua on this one,” Terra said, “And I don’t blame him. I was being a real jerk. It’s good that he’s with her, though.” He clicked on a picture of the two standing in front of Disney Castle, locked in an embrace, each sticking one foot in the air behind them. “I don’t want her to be alone.”

“Yeah,” Riku said, his thoughts turning to Naminé. “You wish you could be with her, though, don’t you?”

Terra drew his knees up to his chest and rested his forehead on them. “How did I mess this up so badly?” he asked, voice heavy with emotion. “I told her that I didn’t feel the same about her anymore, but…but I was wrong.”

Riku grimaced and couldn’t think of anything to say to that.

“I thought that because things were getting hard that they weren’t working out, but…I still love her and I don’t know how I can make this better or if she’ll even want me back.”

“Maybe just try talking to her,” Riku said, placing a hand on Terra’s shoulder. “Tell her how you really feel.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Terra said with a ghost of a smile but sadness in his eyes. “I’ll try calling her as soon as I can. Thanks, Riku.”

Riku smiled at him and they stood up to head to dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short. The rest will be longer.


	3. Wonderland

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beware the Jabberwock, my son.

Aqua’s feet pounded against the ground as she and Ven ran for their lives, darting through the trees of the forest as fast as their legs could take them, avoiding foliage in the growing dark; the sun had just gone down, and her vision was limited. Aqua heard a roar behind her, and she swung her Keyblade back, firing a spell at the monster that chased them.

“This was a terrible idea!” Ven cried, sprinting beside her.

“Yeah, I know that!” Aqua screamed, feeling a stitch form in her side.

“Note to self,” Ven said, leaping over a fallen log, “Never pick a fight with a Jabberwocky!”

“Agreed!”

They ran, shielding themselves from great blasts of fire shooting from the Jabberwocky’s mouth and casting spells over their shoulders in a vain attempt to disable the beast, but all they did was anger it, sending it screaming into the night.

They skidded to a halt at the base of a cliff and whipped around to face the monster as it approached them through the Tumtum trees, staring them down as fire danced in its eyes. Aqua and Ven readied their weapons and began to cast spell after spell, swinging their Keyblades when the monster got too close, but they were useless against its iron hide.

Ven sprinted up the side of the cliff and kicked off of it. He flew through the air, poised above the Jabberwocky, Keyblade suspended above him, but before he could even think to bring down his weapon on the beast, the Jabberwocky reared its head, slamming into Ven and sending him crashing through the trees, hitting every branch on his way down. He lay on the ground immobile.

“ _Ven_!” Aqua screamed. He didn’t respond.

Aqua faced the monster again as rage filled her mind. She ran at the Jabberwocky and attacked its legs, sending it dancing backward with a roar. It took a snap at her, but she jumped out of the way, hovering in the air, and sending a shotlock of projectiles at the beast. She hit it square in the face, dazing it for only a second, but it shook the stupor from its mind and advanced on her, sending another fire blast her way. She dove to the side and looked for any weak spot to penetrate its armor but could find none.

She spied Ven on the ground a few yards away and sprinted for him, picking him up in her arms and nearly buckling under his weight. She could sense he was still alive, but just barely, breathing shallowly as his head lolled about. She secured her grip and ran through the trees, much slower with her added burden. The Jabberwocky had followed her back into the forest, stomping menacingly and shaking the ground with every footfall. Aqua continued to run, tears streaming down her face in terror. They had only been to two worlds and already she had put Ven’s life in danger. Aqua would be lucky if they both escaped with their lives.

She felt herself begin to slow, breathing heavily, and another blast of fire just above her head ruined any night vision she had left. Aqua stumbled and fell, dropping Ven and collapsing on top of him. She whipped around to see the Jabberwocky standing over them, staring her down with venom in its gaze, rearing back, and lighting another ball of fire deep within its throat. Aqua gasped and threw herself over Ven’s prone form, but she knew that they would both end up killed in the blast.

“Goodbye, Terra,” she whispered, seeing flames lick the monsters maw.

It drew itself to its full height, breathing in to make the killing blow, but a sword appeared from out of nowhere, flying over their heads and imbedding itself in the monster’s neck, strangling any notion it had of making the kill. Aqua gasped, watching it fall to the ground, writhing in pain.

A figure leapt from out of nowhere and ran to the Jabberwocky, pulling the sword from its neck, and drawing the weapon back to slice its head clean off. The monster’s head rolled from its shoulders, and its body slumped to the ground and stilled.

The figure turned around to face Aqua, rushing to her side. Though it was dark, Aqua could see she was a blonde girl, covered in full plate-armor.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Ven,” Aqua gasped, turning around and rolling her friend on his back. She broke a potion over his head, feeling his life force return as the potion knit together a few of his smaller wounds. He breathed more evenly but didn’t wake. She let out a sob and turned back to the girl. “You have to help me,” she pled. 

The girl went to Ven’s other side and lifted his arm around her shoulder. Aqua did the same, and together they pulled him upright.

“There’s a place nearby we can take him to, my friend’s cottage,” the girl said.

“Thank you for your help,” Aqua said, nearly tripping over a tree branch, righting herself before she could drop Ven.

“It’s my pleasure. What is your name?”

“Aqua.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Aqua, although I would have like to meet under different circumstances,” the girl said. “My name is Alice.”

Ven awoke to a pounding in his head, and he lifted his hands to press into his temples in an effort to lessen the throb. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the bottom of a thatched roof with dark brown supporting beams running across the length of the warm, sunlit room. He groggily tried to sit up and sucked in a breath at the pain that flared in his side. He gingerly touched his side finding himself stripped to the waist with a bandage wrapped around his abdomen, torso littered with cuts and bruises. He slowly settled back into the pillows of the bed and looked around the small room.

It had only the bed he lay in, a dresser, two end tables, and a mannequin, all brightly colored and mismatched, the dresser bursting full of clothes and the mannequin covered in several suits jackets layered on top of one another, a tall checkered top-hat resting on its neck. There was also a sword propped against the wall in the corner.

“Where am I?” he said in wonderment with a shake of his head. As soon as he spoke, he heard voices outside the door

“Now, now, now, ladies,” said a man, voice muffled on the other side, “If today is the day you say it is, then he must join the tea party.”

“He needs _rest_ ,” Aqua said.

“You said it was his un-birthday today!” the man said, scandalized.

“No, _you_ asked _me_ when his birthday was, and I told you it was _next week_. And un-birthdays aren’t even a thing! Let him—” The door burst open, slamming against the wall and rattling the window panes. “—sleep,” Aqua finished flatly.

In walked a short, old man wearing a suit featuring many different shades of green and a large top hat. He held a tray with a mismatched tea set and a few different tins of tea leaves sitting on top. Aqua followed quickly behind, looking ready to intervene if necessary and in the doorway stood a blonde girl in a blue dress who looked a bit younger than Ven. He inched himself into a semi-sitting position, and pulled his blanket up to his chest to hide himself from his visitors.

“Hello, Mr. Ven,” the man said, setting down the tray on the nightstand. “Miss Aqua tells me that today is your un-birthday.” Aqua groaned and rubbed her eyes. “Miss Alice and I have prepared a little tea party to celebrate, but since you’re still recovering, we thought we’d bring the tea party to you.” He picked up one of the tins of tea and opened the lid, leaning away as confetti and miniature fireworks shot out. Ven flinched in surprise.

“Um, thank you,” he said, looking to Aqua.

“Please, Hatter,” she said, “Ven needs rest. He doesn’t want a bunch of people bothering him.”

“It’s alright, Aqua,” Ven said. He turned to the Mad Hatter with a smile. “Tea would be wonderful, thank you.”

The Hatter grinned and reached under the bed, pulling out three dining chairs and setting them in front of the two women behind him. How the chairs even fit under the bed, Ven had no idea. Aqua and Alice took a seat as the Hatter began pouring tea into cups.

“First one for the un-birthday-boy.” Hatter filled a tea ball with leaves and put it in a cup with stars painted on the side. “Would you like half a cup or a full cup?”

“A half cup is fine.”

Hatter filled the tea cup to them brim and produced a miniature saw out of nowhere. Ven watched with wide eyes as he began sawing the cup in half from top to bottom, expecting the liquid to spill everywhere, but the drink remained within its invisible confines. Hatter offered the cup to Ven who gingerly took it by the handle. He slowly brought the still intact edge of the ceramic cup to his lips, sure that the tea would go everywhere as soon as his skin brushed against it, but it didn’t. He took a gulp of the hot liquid, feeling it slosh around in his empty stomach.

“Be careful,” Hatter warned, “You don’t want it to spill.”

Aqua and Alice both accepted full cups and Hatter drank the other half of Ven’s tea.

“So,” Alice said, “You two fought the Jabberwocky?”

“More like ran away from it,” Aqua said.

“Why go after it? It’s a dangerous creature.”

“The townsfolk said that it had been terrorizing the farms, so we thought we’d take care of it.” Aqua sighed. “But no matter what we did, we couldn’t hurt it, so we had to run.”

The Hatter laughed. “You silly-Billy’s! The Jabberwock can only be harmed by the Vorpal Sword.” He pointed to the sword propped against the wall.

“We’re lucky you were there,” Aqua said to Alice, “Otherwise we wouldn’t have made it.”

Alice shrugged. “All in a day’s work as a Jabberwocky slayer.”

Ven eyes went round. “ _You_ killed the Jabberwocky?”

Alice laughed, a soft tinkling noise, and said, “Don’t sound so surprised. If not for me, the villagers would be done for.”

“Alice helped me bring you here,” Aqua offered.

“Thank you,” he said to the girl with a smile. “I would probably be dead if not for you.”

“It was the least I could do.” Alice set her tea cup down on the tray and stood up. “Now, Hatter, I think that Mr. Ven has had enough excitement for one day.” She took the half-cups from his and the Hatter’s hands and set them on the tray. “He needs his rest. Not everyone can fight a Jabberwocky and live to tell the tale, now out!” she ordered the older man.

Aqua stood and set her own cup down on the tray next to the two half-cups which had mysteriously become one again when Ven wasn’t looking. “I’ll stay here with Ven,” she said, “And make sure he’s doing all right.”

Alice and the Mad Hatter took up the chairs and tea set and left the two of them alone in the room. Aqua kneeled on the floor next to the bed and reached for Ven’s hand.

“Hatter said we could stay here in his spare room while you recover,” she said. “I would have healed you sooner, but I wanted you to be awake when I set your bones, just in case.”

“‘Set my bones’?” he asked with a raised eyebrow and small grimace.

“You’ve got a few broken ribs. Lay down flat on the bed so everything is in line.”

Ven did as he was told, watching Aqua summon her Keyblade and hold it over him.

“ _Heal_ ,” she said. With an odd pop in his side, right at the base of his ribcage, Ven’s pain disappeared, as did his remaining cuts and bruises. He sat up with a grin.

“Thanks, Aqua.”

She smiled and sat on the bed next to him, but the smile slid from her face as she stared down at the floor.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Ven cocked his head, looking at her with confusion. “Why?”

“If I hadn’t wanted to go fight the Jabberwocky, then you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

“But I’m fine.” He leaned forward and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You saved me.”

“Ven,” Aqua turned to him with a frown, “We got lucky. If Alice hadn’t been there…”

“We would have still made it,” he said.

Aqua looked away. “You don’t know that.”

He sighed. “Maybe,” Ven said softly, sliding his hand down her shoulder and lacing his fingers with hers. They fit together nicely. “But I do know that I’m glad you were there for me.”

Aqua took a deep breath and managed a smile. “I’m glad you’re here for me, too.” She stood up. “Well, now that you’re better, we should repay the Hatter’s kindness. Get dressed and come downstairs to help with lunch.”

“Aww, come on, Aqua, I just woke up.”

“Don’t be lazy,” she said, walking through the door without a backward glance.

Ven rolled his eyes and got up, locating his shirt at the foot of the bed and pulling it over his head, following her out the door.

Terra sat on his bed staring down at his gummiphone lying on the sheets. He picked it up and moved to press the buttons, but set the phone back down, running his hands through his hair.

He had already tried calling Aqua twice the night before and even Ven, but neither had picked up. Perhaps they were too busy having the time of their lives to talk to him. He sighed and lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

“What have I done?” he asked himself. A single tear rolled down his temple and into his hair, but before he could begin to sob, Terra heard a knock on his door and sat up, wiping his eyes as Riku poked his head in.

“Terra,” he said, “Solis and Ikimo are fighting again. Could you come help please?”

“Yeah, of course.” Terra stood up and followed Riku out of the room, leaving his phone on his bed. As soon as he closed the door, it started vibrating.

Aqua sighed and put her phone down when Terra didn’t answer. She saw that he had called her twice while she and Ven had been dealing with the Jabberwocky and wanted to call him back, but it seemed he didn’t want to talk to her anymore. She ran her hand along the fabric of the nightgown that Alice had lent her, trying to find comfort in the soft touch of linen, watching the flicker of a candle send dancing orange light across the white surface.

“You okay?” Ven said, appearing in the doorway.

She shrugged. “I tried calling Terra, but he didn’t pick up.”

“Maybe he’s just busy.” Ven took a seat next to Aqua on the bed.

“Or maybe he just doesn’t want to talk.” Her eyes met the floor. “I thought that he would want to work things out, but…Now I don’t know.”

“Don’t worry, Aqua. Things will work out how they’re meant to.”

She nodded sadly and sighed. “So,” she said, shaking the thoughts from her mind. She gave Ven a smile, “How did you like being Hatter’s model today?”

Ven laughed, thinking of how the mad man had more or less used him as a dress form, putting all sorts of clothes on him, pinning and sewing things into place, all while chattering away about nonsensical things.

“It was…an experience.” He shook his head with amusement, and Aqua giggled. “You’ll get to see the outfit he came up with for me at the real tea party tomorrow.”

“Well, I’m looking forward to it,” Aqua said. She set her gummiphone on the nightstand. “We should get some sleep.”

Ven hummed in agreement, nodding his head. “I’ll take the floor,” he said, sliding off the bed and sitting on the ground.

“What? No!” Aqua shook her head. “You just fought a Jabberwocky. You should have the bed. I can take the floor.”

“Uh-uh,” Ven said decidedly, shaking his head. “There’s no way I’m letting a lady sleep on the floor. Besides, I feel fine.”

“Well, I don’t want you on the floor either.”

“Too bad.” Ven crossed his arms and gave her a raised eyebrow.

Aqua rolled her eyes. “We could just share the bed,” she said with a shrug.

Ven cheeks turned pink. “Sh-share?”

Aqua laughed. “Yeah, share. We’re both adults, right?”

“I guess,” Ven said, not able to meet her eyes.

She scooted over and patted the space on the bed next to her. Ven reluctantly stood and slid into the bed as Aqua blew out the candle lighting the room, plunging them into darkness. They both awkwardly settled into the blankets.

Ven tried to get comfortable, but the stifling summer heat made it hard to breath, and perspiration soon dampened his skin.

“Aqua, do you mind if…if I take my shirt off? ‘Cause it’s, like, a million degrees in this room.”

“That’s fine,” she said quietly.

Ven sat up and pulled his shirt off, tossing it aside and lying back down again. Though he thought the extreme level of awkwardness in the room would keep him from sleep, he soon lost himself to his dreams, dreams that might have had to do with the woman beside him.

Aqua awoke to find a cold bite at the tip of her nose that suggested the summer heat from the day before had been swept away by the cool mountain breeze in the wee hours of the morning. Terra’s strong arms were wrapped around her and his warm body was solid against her back. She nestled into the touch with a soft smile and opened her eyes. The smile fell from her face when she looked down to see not Terra’s warm embrace, but Ven’s. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes.

She should have woken him, but she didn’t. Instead, she just lay there, crying silent tears, wishing she had the strength to remove his arms from her. It would have been the right thing to do in his state of unconsciousness, but Aqua couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Though she wouldn’t admit it, Aqua liked Ven’s arms around her. The embrace felt nice. But Terra’s felt nicer. But Terra also wasn’t here, and Ven _was_. The comfort of his arms felt decidedly less comforting, but she didn’t want it to stop either. She rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand as if to bring any sort of clarity to her thoughts.

_Do I like Ven like that?_ she asked herself. She scoffed internally. _No, of course not! He doesn’t even see me that way. I’m just feeling sad and lonely right now._

But she didn’t actually feel lonely at all in the arms of her best friend. She felt…loved again. Truly loved, like she had in the past with Terra.

_Stop it! He’s not even awake. Don’t take advantage of him._ Aqua then quickly reminded herself that she wasn’t trying to take advantage of him at all, but before she could explain things to herself any further, Ven shifted, removing one arm to stretch and yawn before replacing it back around her side. Though she couldn’t see it, she could picture it in her mind; how cute she knew it would be.

_There I go again,_ she thought as tears of frustration overtook the previous ones. She decided to say something, anything to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation.

“Good morning, Ven,” she said softly.

“Good morning, Aqua,” he murmured in her ear. Neither said anything for a moment before Ven jumped back, ripping his arms away from her. “Oh my gosh, Aqua, I’m so sorry!” he said, “I was still half asleep. I didn’t mean to...to start spooning you.” He ended quietly with an embarrassed chuckle.

Guilty tears joined the frustrated ones on her face. She should have woken him. “Don’t worry about it,” she whispered.

Ven looked at Aqua. She still had not turned to face him. He squeezed his eyes shut and cursed himself for this entire situation he had put her in. He should have just taken the floor. Then he would have avoided accidentally spooning his best friend—the best friend that he was secretly in love with. He drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

“I’ll take the floor next time, I promise.”

“I said it’s fine, Ven,” Aqua said thickly, not sounding fine at all. She wiped her eyes with the side of her hand.

“Please don’t cry,” he said, rubbing her back. He moved a piece of her hair behind her ear with care. “It was a complete accident.”

“It’s not that,” she whispered.

“Then what’s wrong?” If Ven hadn’t been the one to make her cry, then he could certainly do his best to help her with her troubles. He would always be there for Aqua because he loved her with all his heart—

“I miss Terra.”

Ven flinched as if she had struck him, feeling a ball of lead settle in his stomach. He withdrew his hand from her. How could he have forgotten that his crush was still getting over her ex?

_I’m such an idiot_ , he internally berated himself.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, wanting to do anything but.

“No.”

“Okay,” he said quietly. Ven stood from the bed and picked up his discarded shirt, pulling it over his head. “I’m going to go down to breakfast.” Aqua didn’t respond.

Instead of joining the Hatter for breakfast, Ven fled the house and ran into the forest, not even sparing the cottage a backward glance. He ran as fast as he could, but he didn’t have any destination in mind, only seeking to burn off the bout of rage that quickly began to overtake him.

It would only ever be Terra. She loved him; always had, always will. Ven couldn’t expect to compete with someone like that. He couldn’t compete with someone as strong and handsome and heroic as Terra. He couldn’t compete with Master Eraqus’s star student and protégé. He couldn’t compete with Terra because there was no contest at all. Ven was nothing compared to him.

Ven slowed to a halt, breathing heavily and feeling a stitch form in his side. He leaned against a tree to rest, and, on that tree, he found mirror with a purple, intricately detailed frame nailed to the bark, large enough to show the top of his head down to his knees. Blue paint written on the glass asked, “Like what you see?”

Ven looked at his reflection and saw someone who wasn’t good enough. He wasn’t good enough for Master Eraqus, he wasn’t good enough for Terra, and he wasn’t good enough for Aqua. He clenched his fist, nails digging into his palm, and grit his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. With a wordless cry, he slammed his fist into the mirror, bloodying his knuckles and sending shards of glass everywhere.

Aqua stood in front of the cottage, staring at the long table before her, set with all manner of mismatched dinnerware and tea sets. She and Alice had just finished up all the place settings—the Mad Hatter had insisted that every seat had a setting even though there were only four of them—as well as set out pastry stands. It all looked lovely, but Aqua didn’t pay it any mind. Instead, she thought of Ven.

She hadn’t seen him at all since he left her that morning. Hatter told her that he had gone into the woods and when Ven returned, he whisked him off to get changed into his tea time attire. She couldn’t stand not seeing him, realizing that for the past week and a half, his never ending commentary had become a comfort to her—proof that there was always someone there who cared. His absence left a void in her heart.

“Well, that looks nice,” Alice said, looking at the table, “Don’t you think?” Aqua hummed in agreement. “Shall we get dressed for tea then? Mr. Ven can’t be the only one outfitted for the occasion.” Aqua nodded and followed Alice inside, letting her lead her to the guest room.

“I’ve left a few things here for when I come to visit Hatter,” Alice said, “So I’ve got plenty of dresses you can borrow.” She opened the dresser and pulled out a green frock, handing it to Aqua along with a few complicated looking undergarments. She looked at them with a raised eyebrow, but thanked the girl nonetheless.

Alice helped Aqua into her outfit, trying to make conversation but only receiving two-word answers.

“Aqua,” she said, “Is something wrong?”

“I’m worried…that I upset Ven somehow.”

“What happened?”

“I-I don’t know.” Aqua sighed. “We were just talking this morning, and…I was upset and he tried to help, but I didn’t want to talk and…he just left.”

Alice finished tying the bow on the back of Aqua’s dress and picked up a hairbrush, beginning to run it through her hair, combing the blue locks into place.

“You must speak with him,” she said, “Ask him what’s wrong. Communication is very important between husband and wife.”

Aqua’s eyes grew wide, but she didn’t say anything. She didn’t know much about the culture of Wonderland, but if Alice thought they were married, she would go along with it. She would just have to give Ven a heads up.

“I guess you’re right,” Aqua said as Alice attached a large bow to her head, the finishing touch to her outfit. Alice sent her back outside, but didn't follow, making her way to Hatter's room where she could find Ven.

Ven exited the cottage to find Aqua standing beside the table, staring out into the field. He had never seen her in such a poufy dress before. She looked cute. He smiled and approached her, removing his hat and tucking it under one arm.

“Hey,” he said.

Aqua glanced at him. “Hey. You look nice.”

“Thank you, dear Madame,” he said poshly, “But I’m afraid my looks don’t even hold a candle to your exquisite beauty.” Aqua laughed.

“Did Alice tell you to say that?” she asked.

“She might have,” Ven admitted. “But I mean every word of it.”

“Thanks.” Aqua’s smile fell and she dropped her gaze to the ground. “Ven, did I upset you this morning?” He stiffened. “I feel like I hadn’t seen you all day. Was it because we shared a bed? Because we don’t have to do that again if it makes you uncomfortable. I shouldn’t have suggested it.”

Ven's eyebrows drew together, crestfallen. “It wasn’t that,” he said, “It was a little awkward but it wasn’t that big of a deal, it’s just when…when you mentioned Terra…”

Aqua bit her lip. “I’m sorry. I forgot that I’m not the only one who’s having a hard time away from him. You guys are best friends, too.”

Ven looked away. “Yeah, I guess we were.”

“Don’t think that this is the end of the three of us, Ven,” she gripped his shoulders and looked him in the eye. “We’ve fought too hard to throw this friendship away.”

He nodded slowly. “I know. It’s just…” he ran a hand through his hair, “When we left, it felt like a new beginning, a new chapter. Like leaving Terra seemed so final.”

“It doesn’t have to be final,” Aqua said with a shake of her head, “We can go back whenever we want.”

Ven looked at her somberly. “Do you want to go back?”

Boy, that was a good question. One that Aqua didn’t know the answer to just yet.

“I…I don’t know,” she said, “I think I’d like to see him again, but then I remember what Chirithy said and…I want to give him more time to figure things out for himself.”

Ven nodded. “If you ever decide you want to go back, just tell me, okay?”

Aqua smiled. “Yeah. Thanks, Ven.” She pulled him into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here with me.”

Ven smiled sadly, holding her tight. “I’m glad, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sucks to be Ven right now.


	4. The Castle of Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ven and Aqua visit Queen Cinderella and celebrate her daughter's and his joint birthday.

Terra sat in his office, pinching the bridge of his nose as he studied the two bruised and bloodied boys sitting in front of him.

“I just don’t understand,” he said, giving Solis and Ikimo a glare. “You used to be best friends, and now you’re letting some girl get between you two?”

“Hana is more than just ‘some girl’,” Solis spat, scowling.

“We were never real friends,” Ikimo said darkly.

“Right, sure.” Terra had to force himself not to roll his eyes at the overly dramatic responses. “But you know that fighting each other outside of practice sparring is against the rules. As punishment…you get to straighten out the library.” The boys groaned in unison. Terra’s students constantly shuffled around all the books in the massive library and never put them back in their proper place, so organization was a great ordeal. “Every day for the next month or so. And,” Terra continued, “You get to do it together. Think of it as a bonding exercise.” He let them go, watching sadly as they gave each other hard glares on the way out, hoping they would make up. Hana might have been important to them, but their friendship should have been as well.

Ven and Aqua wandered the bustling streets of town, looking at the shops by the inn they were staying at, sampling food, and taking in the atmosphere around them. Streamers and banners lined every street and carriage as everyone celebrated the birth of the princess, Queen Cinderella’s daughter.

“Aqua,” Ven said, holding up a pastry, “Try this.”

Aqua ginned as he brought the sweet to her mouth, holding his hand underneath to catch the crumbs when she took a bite. “It’s really good,” she said, covering her full mouth with her hand. Ven popped the rest into his mouth and nodded in agreement.

“It’s funny,” he said, “That Cinderella’s baby was born only a week before my birthday.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Aqua said with a laugh. “We already sort of celebrated your birthday last week, though.” She looped her arm through Ven’s and turned down the main street, looking up at the castle, where an opulent party was being held in honor of the newborn princess.

“That was my _un-birthday_. Remember?” He raised an eyebrow and smirked. “I can’t believe you forgot.”

“Don’t get cheeky,” she said, reaching up and squishing the apples of his face, making him chuckle. “You’re getting _two_ celebrations.”

Ven looked at the party around them. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a huge celebration like the princess’s. I mean, she gets a week-long event and she isn’t even old enough to enjoy it!”

“Well,” Aqua said, squeezing his arm, “Let’s enjoy it for her.”

“I think I can do that,” he said with a wink. She blushed for some reason. “We should go say hi! I’m sure Cinderella would be happy to see us.”

“It’s been so long,” Aqua said, “Would she even remember who we are?”

“Well, we made a spectacular first impression, didn’t we?”

She laughed. “That we did.”

They made their way through town and up the road to the castle, chatting idly about the event and admiring the scenery of the forest path. Upon their arrival, they met an elderly woman sitting on a stool at the gates, reading a book.

“Hello, dears,” she said, looking up, “Have you come to wish the princess a happy birthday?”

“We have,” Aqua said with a smile.

The woman looked them up and down with a curious expression. “Why, you’re Keyblade wielders aren’t you?”

They looked at each other as their alarm grew. “How do you know that?” Aqua said cautiously.

The woman chuckled. “I’m a Fairy Godmother. I can sense the magic you two possess.” Her smile softened. “You helped Princess Cinderella once, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Ven said, “A long time ago.”

“Then she will be delighted to see you again!” The Fairy Godmother smiled, but then looked them up and down critically. “But not like that.” Ven and Aqua rose an eyebrow at each other as she produced a magic wand out of the sleeve of her cloak, giving it a few shakes, and letting sparkles fall to the ground. She pointed the wand at them.

Aqua’s eyes grew at being the target of the mysterious woman’s spell. “Wait just a minute—!”

“ _Bibbidi bobbidi boo_!”

A spray of sparkles shot out from the tip of the Fairy Godmother’s wand and showered over the two of them, clinging to their clothes and solidifying in a glowing mass. Once the glow had subsided, Aqua looked down at herself and gasped.

She wore an enormous, lilac gown with delicate lace trim and substantial bustles on the skirt that trailed the ground behind her, as well as long white gloves and sparkling jewels around her neck.

“Aqua, you look _beautiful_ ,” Ven said in awe.

She chuckled. “You don’t look too bad yourself,” she said, glancing down at his green, silken jacket and his white breeches, both lined in gold. He also wore white gloves, ending at his wrists.

“Oh, thanks,” he said, running a hand through his hair as a blush dusted his features.

“Now,” the Fairy Godmother said, “You are ready to see the princess. Oh, and I hope you don’t mind, but I borrowed a bit of your magic to increase the longevity of the spell to last throughout the week. The magic will end at the final stroke of midnight after the ball this Saturday.”

“Thank you,” Aqua said, searching through her magic reserve and only finding the tiniest bit taken. “How can we repay your kindness?”

The Fairy Godmother shook her head. “This is a gift, dear. Repay me by having fun.”

“Oh, we will,” Ven said with a grin. He looped his arm through Aqua’s once again. “You can be sure of that!”

They stepped inside the castle gates, letting valets direct them inside the castle with smiling faces. Nobles mingled in the main hall as servants ran to and fro, providing drinks and hors d'oeuvres to the guests. Aqua and Ven ignored everyone, searching for their old friend as they made their way into the luxurious ballroom.

“There she is,” Ven said with a discreet point.

Aqua looked over to see the queen dressed in a blue gown, not unlike the one she wore to the ball many years ago when she first met her husband, holding a bundle in her arms as she looked upon the party with a smile. Ven made a beeline for Cinderella, pulling Aqua along with him.

“Your highness,” he said with a bow. Aqua likewise curtsied.

“Good day,” Cinderella said, “Are you enjoying the party?” She looked at them with slightly furrowed brows as they answered yes. “I’m sorry, but have we met before? Your faces seem so familiar.”

They chuckled. “It was a long time ago,” Aqua said. “We helped you get to the ball.”

“You mistook me for a mouse,” Ven said with a grin.

Cinderella gasped softly and smiled brightly. “Aqua and Ven! How could I forget? Is your friend here with you? Terra?”

Aqua’s face fell slightly. “He isn’t here. He had to, uh, stay with his students back home.”

“Oh, well give him my regards.”

“Is this the princess?” Ven asked. Aqua wondered if he had changed the subject on purpose.

“Yes, this is Princess Mireille,” Cinderella said with a bright smile, looking down at her child.

“She’s is the cutest little thing!” Ven cooed at the princess, who gazed up at him passively as he tickled her stomach. She reached out and touched his white glove, gently grabbing ahold of his finger.

“I think she likes you,” Aqua said with a laugh.

Cinderella smiled and brushed her finger along the princess’s cheek as Ven made funny faces at her. “Would you like to hold her?”

Ven’s face lit up. “I would _love_ to!”

Cinderella chuckled and offered the baby to Ven, who took her carefully, making sure to support her head as he cradled Mireille against his chest. “Aww, look at her beautiful eyes,” he said, a pained expression crossing his features at the adorableness of the princess.

Aqua chuckled, feeling a strange pang in her stomach at the sight of Ven holding a child, quite possibly the sweetest thing she had ever seen. 

“I’m going to have, like, ten babies,” he said, gently rocking Mireille. She gave a wide yawn and closed her eyes. “Aww!” Ven melted.

Aqua laughed with mirth, watching her friend. _He would be a good dad._ In Aqua’s mind, for only the briefest moment, an image appeared. One of Ven, standing in the kitchen of the castle back home, in his pajamas as he cooked breakfast, holding a blue-haired child on his hip. As brief as the image was, Aqua’s face grew warm and butterflies erupted in her tummy.

“Do you want to hold her?” Ven asked her as she snapped out of her thoughts. He turned to Cinderella. “Is that alright?” She nodded with a smile.

“Oh, of course,” Aqua said, taking Princess Mireille from his arms. She didn’t stir, having fallen asleep. “She's so cute!” she said with a giggle.

“I’m very happy that the two of you could come today,” Cinderella said, “I thought I was going to be the only normal person here with all these stuffy nobles.” She ended with a wink, and Aqua and Ven chuckled. “Will you be coming to the ball this Saturday?”

“Well,” Ven said, “We can’t say no to the queen.”

Cinderella laughed. “Good. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you there.”

Ven squinted in the darkness, looking out the window of the carriage that Cinderella had sent for them at the trees that blurred past. His leg bounced rapidly as they drew closer to the castle.

“You gonna be alright?” Aqua asked with a grin, placing a hand on his knee.

“Sorry,” he said with a chuckle, “I’m just excited for the ball.”

She laughed. “Since when are you excited about wearing stuffy clothes?” she tugged on his ascot, “And dancing all evening?”

“Well…” he looked in her eyes and smiled softly, “It helps when you have the right company.”

She smiled and looked away, and he could have sworn he saw her blush, but it was too dark to be certain.

They pulled to a stop in front of the castle, and a page opened the door to their carriage. Ven stepped out first and held out a hand for Aqua, and she wrapped her fingers around his as she descended onto the paved drive. Ven had to tamp down the giddiness that surged through his chest when the lights of the castle illuminated her face and cast dancing highlights on her silk gown. She looked just like a princess, and he couldn’t help stare.

“Thank you,” she said, taking his arm and letting him lead her into the castle. Ven could hardly take his eyes off her as they walked through the halls, only looking away to avoid running into anything.

“You look beautiful tonight,” he said.

Aqua laughed. “Ven, I’m wearing the same thing I’ve worn all week.”

“Who said you haven’t looked beautiful all week?” She blushed and dropped her gaze. “And it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. You’re always beautiful.”

“Well,” she said, unable to meet his eyes, “You’re beautiful, too.”

He chuckled. “Thanks.”

Ven removed his arm from Aqua’s and took her hand in his as they ascended the staircase into the ballroom. She looked around at the dancing patrons, many of whom were in their own little worlds, looking into the eyes of their beloved dance partner. Her thoughts turned to Terra and the few dances they had shared when Master Eraqus taught them etiquette. She frowned slightly.

Ven led her into the middle of the ballroom and released her hand, dipping into a bow. “May I have this dance, princess?” he asked sweetly.

Aqua giggled and curtsied, forgetting her previous thoughts. “I’m not…” She paused and gave him a grin. “Why, yes, kind prince, you may.”

Ven grinned just as brightly, taking her hand again in his and placing his right on her waist, leading her in a waltz. He said nothing; just stared into her eyes with a smile, and she looked away, suddenly bashful, her eyes resting on his shoulder.

As they danced, Aqua couldn’t help but be hyper-aware of every point of contact they had with each other, her hand in his, his other securely on her waist, and her other gripping his shoulder. Physical contact with another person felt nice, so nice that she realized that she had been a bit touch-starved as of late. She slid her hand to the back of his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. He held her tighter. Yeah, it felt _really_ nice. She wouldn't mind if Ven wanted to hold her like this all the time. Just like Terra use to…

 _What is going on with me?_ she thought, burying her face into the crook of his neck to hide any emotion that might have crossed it . _Ven is just a kid._ She lifted her head to look at him in an effort to prove herself right, but his square jaw and broad shoulders told her otherwise. She internally huffed at herself and unconsciously slowed to a stop. _Well, maybe he’s not a kid anymore, but I can’t fall for him when I’ve got all this baggage._

“Aqua?” Ven cupped her cheek in his hand and looked at her. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, sorry,” she said. “I was just thinking.”

“About what?” he asked gently.

“Um…” she couldn’t meet his eyes. “The-the party! I was thinking about how lovely the party is.”

Ven looked as if he wanted to say something, but instead he took her by the arm once more and began to lead her out of the ballroom, into the gardens. She kept her eyes trained on the ground the whole way. When they stepped out into the cool night air, she could hear music spill from the ballroom, but softly enough that Aqua would have to be quite to hear it.

“You know,” he said softly, “That you can tell me anything.” She nodded but didn’t respond. How do you tell your best friend that you’re starting to fall for him after years of treating him like a little brother?

“Is it about…Terra?”

She sighed. “Indirectly.”

“Indirectly how?”

 _Oh let’s see; I dumped him and now our best friend has become the rebound._ She couldn’t say that. “My feelings are just in a weird place right now.”

Ven stopped walking and pulled her into a hug which she couldn’t help but reciprocate. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll help you get through this.”

Aqua internally screamed at him to cease his kindness. It didn’t make things any easier for her. She didn’t want it. Or at least that was what she told herself.

The truth was that she _craved_ it. The hugs, kisses, and words of praise—she craved all of it. But did she want it from Ven or just a man in general? Despite her thoughts from before, she refused to treat Ven as a rebound. He was worth so much more to her than that. What if this was just a phase? The thought terrified her as soon as it entered her mind. She loved Ven. Romantically? Maybe. But she did love him, and if her crush was just a phase, she would not do him the dishonor of bringing it up. She would let him remain in blissful ignorance.

“Thanks,” she said flatly.

“You’re welcome,” he said, pulling away with a smile. “Now, shall we get back to dancing?” He gestured to a gazeebo with a lattice work of roses weaved through the metalwork and took her by the hand again.

She sighed. “Not right now.”

“Okay. We can just talk.”

Aqua grimaced. If they talked, how long until she spilled her feelings for him?

“Or,” Ven said upon seeing her expression, “We could, uh…sneak into the kitchens and nab some snacks.” He smiled hopefully.

She laughed. An arbitrary task sounded more her speed. “Alright,” she put her hands on her hips, “First to get caught has to do the other’s laundry for a week.”

He grinned. “Oh, you are _so_ on!” Ven turned on his heel and ran back to the castle as Aqua followed behind with a giggle.

They kept to the edges of the ballroom and slipped out a hall door before anyone could notice. Ven looked up and down the corridor but couldn’t see anyone. He instinctively went right, hearing Aqua follow behind him. There was no way of knowing which door led to the kitchens as they all looked the same, but to his left, a door opened swiftly and he jumped behind a pillar, pulling Aqua with him, which was entirely unnecessary since they were both guests invited to the party and weren’t doing anything wrong. Yet.

Aqua gripped his shoulder tightly, trying to calm the misplaced adrenaline running through her veins as a servant walked past with a platter of food. But try as she might, the dizzyingly wonderful musk of Ven’s cologne tangled with her senses and refused to allow her beating heart to still. She leaned in closer to him, close enough to graze the skin of his neck with her lips, but before she could do so, he turned to face her, grinning from ear to ear.

“Let’s go,” he whispered, taking her hand again and pulling her from behind the pillar. He opened the door and peeked through, spying a smaller hallway decorated significantly less opulently and more dimly lit then the hall behind them. He edged inside, following the scent of food down the hall. They tip-toed up and down the hallway, trying to find where the scent was strongest, and ended in front of a nondescript door. 

Ven reached out to grasp the knob, but it began to turn. He gasped softly and swept Aqua behind the opening door against the wall, trying to make himself as small as he could and hope that whoever had just came through didn’t notice Aqua’s bustling skirts. The door swung shut as they watched a servant retreat with a tray of champagne glasses. He disappeared through the hall door and Ven breathed a sigh of relief.

He faced the kitchen door once again and opened it slowly, poking his head inside and finding that the small room wasn’t even the kitchen at all, but the large swinging doors on the back wall no doubt led there. A large table had trays of food and drinks on them, and a row of cabinets on the back wall held wine glasses hanging from the underside; various bottles sat on the counter beneath. Luckily the room was void of people, and Ven thought it safe enough to lead Aqua inside.

“The kitchen must be through there,” he whispered in case anyone was on the other side the large door he indicated. “Let’s just hurry before we get caught.” He picked up a tray of finger foods and searched his heart for a dimensional pocket, slipping the tray inside near his Keyblade. The food disappeared with a shimmer of light.

“I feel bad for just taking it,” Aqua said.

“Hey, it’s for the guests,” Ven smirked, “And we’re guest, aren’t we?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re a bad influence.” She followed his lead, taking two trays and putting them away by her Keyblade. There were other pockets of space she could’ve slipped the food, but near her Keyblade was easiest to access.

“Ooh,” Ven made his way around the table to the cabinet, “Some of this for the road.” He grinned and plucked two glasses from their spots, taking them in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other.

Aqua chuckled. “Don’t you think you’re a bit young for that?”

Ven rolled his eyes. “I turn eighteen at midnight,” he said with a grin, sending the bottle and glasses away with the rest of the food. “Now,” he looked back at the table, “For dessert—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the door to the kitchen opened and a girl stepped through, looking between them with surprise. “Oh, um, I’m sorry,” she stuttered, “But guests aren’t allowed back here.” Ven and Aqua glanced at each other sheepishly. “Please return to the party.”

“I’m so sorry,” Aqua said as the girl led them to the door. She opened it and stepped through, sweeping her hand out toward the exit down the hall. “We didn’t know we weren’t supposed to be in here.”

“It’s quite alright,” the girl said with a curtsy, “But please remain either in the ballroom, the main hall, or the gardens.”

“Of course.”

“Sorry,” Ven said, biting back a grin as she saw them out. He took Aqua by the elbow and led her back into the main hall.

“Looks like we both got caught,” Aqua said with a chuckle.

“She definitely saw you first.”

“How about we do _each other’s_ laundry?”

“Deal.”

They made their way back into the gardens and took a seat on the grass, pulling out their snacks with a shimmer of light, and placing the platters on the ground before them. Ven popped the cork off the champagne bottle and poured two glassing, handing one to Aqua.

“Cheers,” he said, holding his glass up to hers.

“Happy birthday, Ven,” she said as they clinked the rims together. Aqua brought the glass to her lips, sipping at the bubbly liquid and watching him do the same, amusement growing on her face as his twisted with disgust.

He grimaced and lowered his glass. “That is…horrible.”

She laughed and picked up a hor d'oeuvre. “Looks like adulthood isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be,” she said taking a bite.

He chuckled. “No, I guess not.”

“Since you turn eighteen tomorrow,” she asked, “What do you plan on doing for the rest of your life.”

He brought a loose fist to his lips and looked at her pensively, pinning her with his sky blue gaze. She felt her face grow warm when he did not break eye contact.

“I don’t know,” Ven finally said, looking away and taking a bite of finger food. “Maybe someday I’ll become master and get some students of my own. Maybe get married and have a few kids.” He shrugged.

A rush of something shot through Aqua’s mind and body and she clasped her hands tightly together to remain still. _Marrying Ven…AHEM! Ven getting married._ What an entertaining thought.

“What about you?” he asked, taking another sip of champagne.

Aqua took in a breath and let it out all at once. “I don’t know. Same as you, I guess.” _Did that sound like I was implying something?_

“Well,” he said, “We’ve got time to think about that.” She nodded. “In the meantime,” Ven’s face brightened, and he shifted onto his knees, “How about that dance? Early birthday gift?” He held his hand out to her and she found herself taking it, letting him pull her to her feet and lead her to the gazeebo.

“You got a dance from me earlier, you know,” she said as they put their arms around each other.

“Yeah, but that was for world order, _you know_?” He led her in a slow waltz, much slower than the tempo of the music they had to strain to hear from the ballroom.

She smiled and rolled her eyes. “If you insist.” Aqua said no more to him, but rested her head on his shoulder, holding him as she had during their previous dance. She kept her movements to a minimum so that the swish of her skirt couldn’t be heard over the music, snuggling close to Ven’s warmth when a gentle breeze picked up, completely at bliss until…

A loud bong shook the air, startling the two of them and they halted their movement.

“Midnight,” Ven said, looking up at the clock tower in the distance.

Aqua grinned. “Happy birthday, Ven,” she said for the second time.

He looked down at her with a smile so full of warmth and love she thought her heart might burst. His gaze flickered to her lips, and Aqua felt her heart thud in her chest as she looked at his, perfectly plump and looking so soft. She had to know how they felt, how they tasted. The urge was so strong that she let herself give in.

Aqua took Ven’s face in her hands and closed the distance between them, meeting his lips with hers. His hands gripped her waist, pulling her closer to him and her fingers tangled in his hair as his lips grew firmer on hers. Any thought she had flew from her mind, all replaced by his name. _Ven. Ven, Ven, Ven. Ventus, my love_.

She kissed him as if they were the only two people in the world, on any world, and he was the only person that could possibly make her happy, that could give her anything her heart desired. And her heart desired him.

Aqua grew more short of breath with every chime of the clock until she had to pull away, sucking in air gratefully. She looked at Ven, whose expression was unreadable. He removed his hands from her and stepped away just at the final stroke of twelve, the glamor of their attires falling away in a cascade of sparkles to reveal their normal clothing once again. He turned away from her and ran his hands through his hair, beginning to pace back and forth in the small space of the gazeebo.

“Ven?” Aqua asked as worry grew in her heart.

“What just happened?” he asked quietly, looking at her with an expression that mirrored how she felt.

“I’m sorry!” Aqua said immediately, wrapping her arms around her.

“Look, Aqua,” Ven began, rubbing his temple, “I know you’re in a difficult place right now, but that was…”

“I know.” Her face twisted with remorse. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I mean, Terra is my best friend, and you’re his…” Ven sighed and took her hands, guiding her to sit on a bench. “I think, that we need to talk about what’s going on in your head. It’s time we talked about _him_.” She couldn’t meet his eyes, feeling her own begin to moisten. “He was a big part of your life, and you need to get your feelings out. You can't do crazy things like kiss other guys.”

“It’s not just him,” she whispered, blinking away tears. “It’s you, too.”

“Me?” He gently nudged her chin toward him, but she refused to look at him, obstinately turning her head away. “What about me? Should I have pushed you away just now? Should I not have come with you?”

She opened her mouth to say something but she was at a loss for words. Her heart screamed at her to tell him that she loved him, but her head told her that she was inches from ruining her friendship.

Her heart won.

“I love you,” she whispered and ripped her hands from his, jumping up, and sprinting away.

“Aqua, wait!” Ven called, chasing after her as she ran through the gardens, tears running down her face.

“Please leave me alone!” she cried.

“ _Aqua_!”

She could hear him close behind her and ran faster, but she didn’t know how long she could keep this up, feeling a stitch form in her side. She slowed to a stop when she got to the main road in front of the castle, breathing heavily.

Ven came up behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him, and she could no longer hide her tears. “Aqua,” he said, short of breath from his chase, “Please tell me what’s going on. You can’t just say you love me and then run away!”

“Please, Ven,” she whimpered, “I’m not ready to have this conversation right now.” Aqua buried her face in her hands, sobbing softly.

“Okay, okay,” he pulled her into a hug, “We don’t have to have this conversation right now. But we need to take a deep breath and calm down.”

She did neither of those things, continuing to cry guilty tears into his chest. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she muttered, repeating the words until they lost meaning.

Ven shushed her and rubbed her back soothingly. “Aqua,” he whispered, “Let’s head back to the inn. You need rest.”

She nodded, but kept her face buried in her hands, letting him lead her away from the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens.


	5. Corona

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ven and Aqua visit the Kingdom of Corona and finally have a heart to heart about her declaration of love.

Hana sat on the side of a cliff overlooking the Land of Departure. She could see the entire valley from that vantage point, the training grounds, the large front doors into the castle, and a window peeking into the library where she knew Solis and Ikimo would be. She sighed. What had gotten into them?

“Thought I might find you here.” Hana turned to see Kye striding up to her with an easy smile on his face.

“Hey, Kye,” she said, watching him take a seat next to her. “How’d you know I’d be here?”

He chuckled softly. “You like to roost.”

Hana furrowed her brows, unsure of his meaning, but shook it off. “How are Solis and Ikimo doing?”

Kye shrugged, gazing at the library window from far off. “If things get any more heated between them, the library won’t survive the fallout. I worry for the books' safety.”

Hana sighed again. “What is with them?” she asked. “They used to be such good friends, but now…They can barely talk to each other without getting into a yelling match. Do you know what happened?”

She looked over at him, but Kye refused to make eye-contact, finding the blades of grass infinitely more interesting. “I…don’t know,” he said, the pitch of his voice climbing higher.

Hana scowled. “You’re lying. I can tell.”

“Wha-no!” Kye turned on her. “I-I just…Look,” he held his hands up in an appeasing gesture, “I don’t know what the whole situation is between them—”

“Yes you do!” Hana insisted, shifting onto her knees and balling her hands into fists. “Please tell me! I want to help them.”

“I know!” Kye said, eyes growing wide, “I know. But it isn’t my place to tell you their problems.” He ended quietly.

Hana sat back on her legs, frowning and hugging her arms around herself. “I just want everyone to go back to being friends.” She rubbed at her eye.

“I know you do, Hana,” he said, placing his hand gently on her shoulder. “But sometimes you need to let people work things out for themselves.”

Hana nodded. “I guess you’re right. It just…hurts. It hurts to see them this way.” She blinked rapidly, face twisting as tears formed in her eyes. Kye wrapped his arms around her, and she rested her face in the crook of his neck, letting the collar of his shirt soak up her tears. They sat there for a minute, Kye rubbing her back soothingly.

“Would sparring make you feel better?” he asked quietly.

Hana picked up her head off his shoulder and sat back, feeling Kye’s hands slide to rest on her biceps. She nodded. “Yeah.” He stood, offering his hand to help her to her feet, and they began their descent down the mountain. Before they could get too far, Hana stopped him with another hug. “Thanks, Kye.”

“Anytime.”

…

“So you’re friends of Sora’s?” Rapunzel asked, looking up from where she sat in front of her mosaic as she weaved flowers into a little girl’s hair.

“Yup,” Ven said, sitting down next to her and taking a hairbrush another little girl offered him. “I’ve known him for practically a decade.” He share a smile with Aqua, chuckling at her overly bright returning one. The little girl sat on his lap, and he began to comb her hair. “I’ll let him know that we ran into you.”

Aqua still couldn’t believe that she and Ven were just sitting here, braiding hair. She would have thought that they’d either be shouting at each other or kissing at this point, but neither had been the case since she revealed her feelings. Ven was usually so pushy. Why had he not brought it up yet? He seemed to be pretending that nothing was different between them, and half of Aqua’s mind was grateful for that. But the other half knew that they could only keep this up for so long.

“So, your highness,” Ven asked, “Anything fun happening in the kingdom this week? We can’t stay long so I want to make the most of it.”

“Well, you’re in luck,” she said, “Today is my birthday, and we’re setting off the floating lanterns tonight.”

“Oh, happy birthday!” Ven grinned. “There are so many birthdays this month. First it was Mireille’s birthday, then mine, and now yours. Aqua,” he turned to her, his cheery, blue eyes searing into her soul (or perhaps she was being a bit dramatic), “You should have your birthday next!”

She laughed, hoping it didn’t sound too fake. “My birthday isn’t for another few months.”

“Well,” he raised an eyebrow, “It can be your _un_ -birthday.” He winked at her and she looked away.

“Well, in any case,” Rapunzel said, “We’re very happy to have you here. Feel free to have your birthdays and un-birthdays any day you want. Especially during the lantern festival.” She smiled, weaving an intricate twist onto the little girl’s head. “The boat rides are a lot of fun, and they have a great view of the lights!”

They chatted a bit more about her birthday celebrations as Aqua secretly hoped that making a fool of herself in front of Ven wouldn’t become some birthday tradition, but who was she kidding? A lantern-lit boat ride at night? It sounded romantic and like something she definitely didn’t need right then. If there was any time Ven wanted to bring up her feelings for him, it would be then, without a shadow of a doubt.

Aqua looked up as someone approached, crouching next to Rapunzel, a handsome, tall man with brown hair and eyes. “There you are, love,” he said to her, “And here I thought you had skipped out on me.”

Rapunzel giggled as few little girls attacked the man with hugs. “This is my fiancé, Eugene,” she said, “Eugene, this is Ven and Aqua. They’re friends of Sora’s.”

“Ah, some friends of my side-kick,” Eugene said, giving them a salute. “I hope he’s doing well. Oh, and you can call me ‘Flynn,’ but I’m not too picky. How did you find yourselves in Corona? If I understand, Sora’s not from around here.”

“Well,” Aqua said, “We’ve been traveling around for the past few weeks, just to see the sights, and this place looked as lovely as he said, so we thought we’d stop by.”

“We’re trying to hit all the major travel destinations before we head back home,” Ven said with a grin. “Our friends are going to be so jealous when we tell them all our tales.”

“You and I’ll have to swap stories some time,” Eugene said. “Now, my dear,” he turned back to Rapunzel, “I was fully intending to send you on a wild goose chase so I could get your birthday surprise ready, but I can see that’s unnecessary. Aqua, I hope you don’t mind keeping my fiancée company while Ven and I take a leave of absence.”

Ven frowned. “I don’t know if Aqua and I should be separated—”

“It’s fine,” she cut in. “You boys have fun.”

Ven’s frown deepened, but he allowed Eugene to lead him away. Aqua sighed softly.

“Are you sure you want him to go, Aqua?” Rapunzel asked. “I can run after them if you want.”

“No,” Aqua shook her head, “It’s okay. I think we need some time apart anyway.”

“Is everything okay between you two?”

Aqua paused, taking her time to slowly comb through the little girl's hair before speaking. “Ven and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember, and I…Kind of realized I’m in love with him.”

Rapunzel raised her eyebrows, and the little girls’ heads snapped to attention. “Does he feel the same way?” Rapunzel asked.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, “It was all so sudden. The worst part is we have another best friend that I used to date. His name is Terra. I still care about him, but I don’t think there’s anything romantic between us anymore.” She sighed again. “I’m worried that my feelings for Ven aren’t entirely genuine since I just broke up with Terra and suddenly have feelings for him out of nowhere.” She pressed her face into her hands and groaned.

“It’s alright,” Rapunzel said, patting her on the arm. “I’ll admit I’m not exactly a professional when it comes to relationships,” she laughed ironically, “But I’ve read plenty of books about them. The important thing is to be honest. Tell Ven how you really feel, even if it’s complicated. You both deserve it.”

“I don’t know if I can face him like that.” Aqua had fought demons and war-lords, but for some reason, talking to Ven about her feelings scared her like nothing else. She wasn’t even this scared when she told Terra that she liked him. She cursed her ill-timed cowardice.

“It’ll be best to just get it all out in the open,” Rapunzel said, “Dragging it out will only make it harder.”

“I guess you’re right,” Aqua admitted. She squared her shoulders, and set her face in determination. “I’ll talk to him tonight.”

Rapunzel grinned. “I can’t wait to hear how everything turns out.”

Ven and Eugene ran around town, going from shops to theaters to who knew what else, talking to anyone and everyone that had anything to do with whatever crazy scheme the man had come up with and setting up decorations as needed. Ven didn’t really understand what he was planning, but he enjoyed running around with Eugene nonetheless.

“Alright, Ven,” he said, handing him a garland of flowers to Ven’s place atop a ladder, “Take this and put it up there.” Ven put the garland where directed, chuckling at Eugene’s scrutinizing expression. “A little to the left.”

“So,” Ven asked, adjusting the flowers, “How long have you and Rapunzel known each other?”

“About two years.” Eugene cocked his head, gazing at the garland before nodding with satisfaction. “How long have you known Aqua?”

“About four years now,” Ven said climbing down from the ladder. That was four years not counting his time asleep and her time in the Realm of Darkness.

“Well,” Eugene gave him a grin, “You two make an adorable couple if I say so myself.”

“We’re not a couple,” Ven grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Eugene raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—you just seemed…”

“It’s all right,” Ven said with a shrug. “It’s kind of complicated actually.” He bit his lip and looked at the ground.

“Well…? Go on,” Eugene prompted, gesturing with his hand.

Ven sighed, sitting on a rung of the ladder. “I’ve pretty much been in love with her since we met, but I was just a kid, so I never did anything about it,” he said, leaning on his knees. “By the time we got older, she was already dating a good friend of ours. They had a falling out recently and broke up, but I can tell Aqua still loves him. We left on our travels right after that, actually, just to get her away from everything. It’s barely been a month, but she…she kissed me and told me that she loved me.”

“That’s good!” Eugene said, “I don’t see what the problem is.”

Ven sat up straight, giving him a frown. “After doing that, she ran off crying, and when I chased after her, she said she didn’t want to talk about it. That was a few days ago, and I still haven’t brought it up.”

“Well,” Eugene crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, “Women are complex creatures. One can never be sure exactly what they’re thinking.”

“You said it,” Ven said glumly.

“But tell you what,” Eugene put an arm around Ven’s shoulders, “Out of the goodness of my heart, I will help you with your little ‘woman’ problem.”

Ven made a noise of something between a scoff and a laugh. “How?”

“I believe I overheard you talking about the lantern show happening tonight,” he said, pushing off the wall and marching back and forth in front of Ven. “I’ll get you a front row seat, a lovely little boat on a secluded part of the water.” He faced Ven and put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Just the two of you, the romantic lanterns all around—she’ll forget about her ex just like that.” He snapped his fingers for emphasis, but Ven grimaced.

“I don’t want her to _forget_ about him,” he said, “He’s our best friend.”

Eugene sighed. “Do you want Aqua to love you or not?”

“I do,” Ven said at once, “It’s just…” He sighed and groaned into his hands. “It’s complicated.”

“Well, un-complicate it,” Eugene advised, crossing his arms. “If you let her go, you’re never going to be happy, believe me.” He dropped his gaze to the ground, kicking it with the toe of his boot. “There was a time that I thought I lost Rapunzel forever.” He furrowed his brows and looked back up at Ven. “But I _fought_ for her. Just like _you_ should fight for Aqua. Now,” he smiled once again, “Why don’t we head back to the ladies. I have important things I need to discuss with Rapunzel about a certain match to be made.” He winked at Ven, who rolled his eyes.

When they met back up with Aqua and Rapunzel, he could see them laughing and talking, tickling the cheeks of the little girls with their own plaited hair.

“Ah, just where we left you!” Eugene said. “We were just talking about you two, you know.”

“And we were talking about you,” Rapunzel said with a grin.

“We were talking about Mister Ven,” one of the little girls interjected, sending her friends into fits of giggles.

“Me?” he asked, smiling and raising an eyebrow. “And what exactly we’re you saying?”

The girls giggled some more. “It’s a _secret_.”

“Run along, girls,” Rapunzel said, ushering them away, “Go find your parents.”

They ran off laughing and tripping over themselves as Eugene swept an arm around his bride. “My dear,” he said, “I have some important, _private_ matters I must discuss with you.” He looked back to Aqua and Ven. “You two get cozy. We’ll catch up with you later.” He tossed them a wink and set off with Rapunzel, leaving them alone in silence.

“So, uh, should we get some dinner?” Ven asked, gesturing to a nearby café.

Aqua took a deep breath and let it out all at once. “Yeah, we should.”

Ven tried to make light conversation during their meal, but Aqua had trouble playing along. Every second led her closer to her imminent confrontation, and the ball of lead in her stomach swelled to her throat, cutting off her speech. He didn’t ask what was wrong, but she was sure he knew.

When the waiter placed the check on the table, Aqua made to grab it, but Ven snatched it out of her reach before she could do so.

“Allow me, please,” he said with a smile.

“No, Ven. It’s alright,” she said, holding her hand out to take it back.

“It’s my job as the man to take the check,” he said cheekily, raising an eyebrow.

“No, Ven, seriously it’s fine—”

“Let me be the gentleman!” he laughed.

Aqua sighed. “Fine,” she said with a wave of her hand, “Do whatever you want.”

Ven smiled smugly. “ _Thank you_.”

They exited the restaurant into the main square, seeing villagers dancing to the music in the dying light of evening. He gesture to the livelihood before them and asked, “Do you want to—”

“No,” Aqua said shortly, crossing her arms and walking past the festivities.

Ven frowned at her retreating figure and followed behind before he could lose her in the crowd.

“Aqua,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged him off. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said, refusing to make eye-contact.

“Is this about what happened at the ball? ‘Cause I—”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said evenly.

Ven sighed. “Fine,” he said, “But, Aqua, I need to—”

“Ah! There you two are!” Eugene said, swaggering up to them with Rapunzel on his arm. “Have I got a birthday treat for you!” He released his bride, and threw either arm around the two of them. “Picture this: the two of you on a private boat out on the lake, a million lanterns all around, only the stars privy to your evening. Does that sound romantic, or what?”

“I’m sure it does,” Aqua said, removing Eugene’s arm from around her, “But I should be getting back to the inn.”

“But, Aqua,” Rapunzel said, stepping in front of her, “Don’t you want to have a good time this evening?” She gave her a pointed look. “I think a nice boat ride would do you _both_ some good.” She smiled a little too sweetly, and Aqua grimaced.

She sighed. “I guess you’re right.”

“Perfect!” Eugene cried. “This way!”

He led them out of the town square and to the docks, chattering on about his first lantern lit boat ride with Rapunzel, but Aqua wasn’t listening, too distracted by the nausea in her stomach. She numbly got in the boat, aware of Ven’s hand lingering on hers as he helped her in. Eugene and Rapunzel sent them off, and she tried to ignore the flex of Ven’s muscles as he rowed out onto the lake, stopping in between the town and the forest once the sun had dipped below the horizon. They weren’t the only boat on the lake, but the others were too far away to be a bother. Ven and Aqua were alone.

They stared at the sky above town for what felt like hours, but it was only a few minutes. She waited for him to say something, but Ven remained silent, and Aqua sighed and looked at the water blankly. She was being a coward, and she knew it. Admitting her feelings to Terra had been easy. With him, she was flirty and playful, teasing him into confessing his feelings for her and telling him what a dummy he was when he asked if she liked him back. But with Ven, she was a clam. The possibility of rejection was too real, too close, and she couldn’t get hurt again.

“Look,” he said, pointing at the sky and pulling her out of her thoughts. She followed his finger to a tiny pinprick of light rising above the castle. It floated all by its lonesome, bobbing in the sky like a bumblebee.

“That’s it?” she asked, her shoulders falling. She turned to Ven. “Not much of a show.”

He laughed and nodded toward the sky. “Keep looking.”

Aqua turned her face back to the town and gasped softly when she saw, as Eugene had said, thousands upon thousands of lights rising above the cityscape. The mass crossed the sky with ease, each light floating lazily, twirling around its companions. They spilled over the lake, enveloping the boat in a warm glow as the water reflected the light. Aqua laughed softly as she gazed about in wonderment.

“Aqua,” Ven said, taking her hand. The butterflies erupted in her stomach again as she looked into his eyes. “I think it’s time we talked about it. About _us_.”

“You’re right,” she said softly. Aqua took a deep breath, and…everything spilled out of her. “Ever since we’ve been traveling together, I’ve starting seeing you differently. Like less of a little brother and more like the man that you’ve become, and, since Terra and I are over maybe something clicked in my head, and I’ve started becoming more and more attracted to you, and I feel awful because I don’t want you to think you’re some kind of rebound ‘cause you’re not!” She took a deep breath. “I really, really care about you, and I’ve been so stressed about it because I don’t know if you really feel that way about _me_. How _do_ you feel about me?”

Ven looked at her in shock before chuckling softly, but his soft chuckle soon morphed into full-bellied laughter.

Aqua scowled. “What’s so funny?!” she demanded, “I pour my heart out to you, and you laugh at me?” Tears bit at her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Ven said, stifling his laughs, “You’re just too cute.” He grinned.

“ _Ven_!” She punched his shoulder, making him wince. “You don't have to make me feel like an idiot!”

“You’re only an idiot for not realizing the obvious,” he said, his smile softening.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She frowned.

In answer, Ven placed a gentle hand behind her neck and guided her lips to his in a sweet kiss. “It means,” he whispered against her lips, “That I’ve been in love with you since the day we met.”

Aqua pulled away and looked at him incredulously. “ _What_?!”

Ven laughed. “I couldn’t say anything because you and Terra were together, and I didn’t want to do anything about it while you were still getting over him.” His brows pinched together. “When you kissed me at the ball, I didn’t know what to do. I wanted…I wanted it to last forever, but I knew you were still feeling weird about him.”

“I’m over Terra,” she said, “I promise.”

“Well, in that case,” he took her other hand, “Do want to give this a try? Maybe it won’t last,” her heart broke a little at the thought, “And maybe we’ll find that we’re better as friends, but I _love you_ , and I think we could make it work.”

She smiled. “I think so, too.” She looked at her feet and the smile fell from her face. “What are we going to tell him?”

“Leave that to me,” Ven said, “This is hard enough for you already.”

She laughed once and looked back up at him. “Still think I have feelings for him?”

“I think,” he said, “That Terra was a big part of your life that will be difficult to get over.”

“I guess you’re right. Thank you for telling him for me,” she said.

Aqua gave him another kiss, lingering and savoring the soft touch without remorse. She pulled him closer to her, passion blooming in her chest as his hands clutched at her clothes, tugging her into his lap. The sudden motion shifted the balance of the boat, sending it lurching to one side. Aqua and Ven broke apart, attempting to steady the boat, but each leaned too far in the same direction, tipping it past the point of no return and sending them tumbling into the water. They came up gasping for breath and bursting with laughter.

Ven kept the boat steady as Aqua climbed back inside, and she leaned to the far end when he climbed back in to avoid tipping it again. They lay on their backs, watching the lantern show with their hands locked tightly together, not caring that they were soaking wet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the hiatus. I have no excuse except that I need to stop starting new fics when I have others unfinished.


End file.
